OLTL's Final Episode

In case you missed the final episode of One Life to Live, here are some highlights:

• Clint (not Mitch) turned out to be Jessica's biological father, much to her relief.
• Tomas came back and wanted to tell Blair the truth (that he did not kill Victor Jr.) but alas she was now in bed with Todd.
• Starr went to L.A. to visit Markko and Langston and to tell them that Cole was alive but that she would never be able to see him again. Shortly thereafter, a knock at the door produced Cole there in the flesh, ready to join Starr and their daughter happily ever after.
• Destiny went into labor with Matthew by her side. They named the baby Drew.
• Clint asked Viki to marry him.
• Allison finished reading aloud her story about Llanview and the camera panned over to her listener — a bound and gagged, and very much alive, Victor Lord Jr (Trevor St. John).

However, for some OLTL characters, their story is not over. Roger Howarth (Todd Manning), Emmy-nominated Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer), Kristen Alderson (Starr Manning) and Michael Easton (John McBain) will join the cast of General Hospital in late January in the same roles that they've played on One Life to Live. So, if you need your Llanview fix (now in Port Charles), catch up on your GH knowledge and support the last remaining ABC daytime soap!

(Thanks to Dana Block for help with this story!)

Interview Outtakes, Part 3

Most of the time when I am conducting an interview with a soap star, I have more interview material than space for printing the interview. Here are some blurbs from stars that did not make it to the print version of the interview, but were too good not to publish.

Vanessa Williams (ex-Elizabeth, “South Beach,” pictured left) on the possibility of Wilhelmina and Daniel every getting together on “Ugly Betty”: “That would be bizarre. I can’t even say it’s a love/hate relationship, because I don’t think she’s ever really loved. She’s tolerated and hated him. Maybe if the show were to end and then they had the two of us get together — I don’t even know how the fans would react, but that would definitely be something completely unexpected.”

Taylor Spreitler (Mia, “Days of Our Lives”) on where she’d like to see herself in 10 to 15 years: “I just still want to be working. I don’t really care what else happens — yeah, winning Emmys and stuff like that, that’d be nice — but as long as I am working, I don’t really care.” On pursuing a musical career: “If I did do that, it probably wouldn’t be for a while. But that would be fun. I love singing, but I am kind of scared. I get nervous when I have to sing.”

Jane Krakowski (ex-Tonya, “Another World”): “Here’s a little bit of trivia for you: Tina Fey’s husband, Jeff Richman, writes all the songs and all the music on ‘30 Rock’ — the incidental music, the theme song, ‘Muffin Top,’ all the Janis Joplin-type songs we did this past season, the musical event on the season finale, etc. Jeff writes incredible songs. He is such a talented musician.”

Michael Easton (John, “One Life to Live”) on playing vampire Caleb Morley on “Port Charles” from 2001-03: “That was so much fun. We had a lot of fun with that. That story line had passion and humor, and so many things that you don’t often get. We were very fortunate to get such good story lines.”

Melora Hardin (of “Gilmore Girls” and “Once and Again”) on filming the feature film “You,” her directorial debut: “It is quite a family affair. My husband wrote it, I directed it, we co-produced it, and we both star in it with our children and my parents (both actors, my Dad is well-known character actor Jerry Hardin). We also work with lots of good friends, who are also wonderful actors, like Brenda Strong (“Desperate Housewives”), Joely Fisher (“Till Death”), Allison Mack (“Smallville” and Amy Pietz (“Caroline in the City”). We made the film in 18 days with our own money and in our own home, as well as many locations donated by friends and family. One of my best friends, Paula Cole, wrote the title song for the movie, and lots of other great musicians contributed to our fabulous soundtrack.”

Interview OLTL: Michael Easton Wants to Steal Your Soul (Kinda)

(Michael Easton, and the back of my head, at Super Soap Weekend November 2008)

Since 2003, Michael Easton has played the frequently tormented (and once presumed dead) John McBain on “One Life to Live.” If you are a true fan of the show, and of Michael, then you also know that Michael is a poet and a novelist. His book of poetry, “Eighteen Straight Whiskeys,” is currently in its third printing. And in June 2008, he released his first graphic novel, “Soul Stealer.”

Michael is proud of his novel, and with good reason: It has been very well received and has garnered numerous glowing reviews. He explains: “This is one of the things that I’ve ever done where I feel like I’ve done something beautiful and pure. It’s the closest I’ll ever come.

“The way it came about was I started asking a lot of questions in my life, like: Have you ever lost somebody, and how far would you go to get them back? So, out of that came this character Kalan, who is sort of this Etruscan warrior-poet, and he develops the ability to bring back souls from the afterlife. He uses this to wander the earth, searching for his one true love, who has been taken away from him.”

Aside from the suspenseful and heart-wrenching story line, the “graphic” part of the novel is lush and beautiful in its own right. Michael says: “The book is beautifully drawn by an artist named Christopher Shy; his artwork is incredible. It’s a really beautiful book and one of the things I am truly proud of. We’ve had a great response, and it’s very kind of people to check it out.”

Once you sink your teeth into “Soul Stealer,” you won’t have to wait long to continue the adventure. “We also did a sequel, ‘Soul Stealer: Blood and Rain,’ which is scheduled to be released this year (in the spring).”

And if you just can’t get enough of Michael Easton the author, you have yet another book to look forward to. Michael shares the scoop: “I also wrote a graphic novel with the novelist Peter Straub, who co-wrote two books with Stephen King, ‘The Talisman’ and ‘Black House.’ And he’s also written many great books on his own. Peter and I wrote a graphic novel together called ‘Tales of the Green Woman,’ and that will be out at the end of 2009 for DC Vertigo (an imprint of DC Comics geared toward the late-teen/adult audience).

“On a strange side note, he occasionally appears on ‘One Life to Live’ as a character named Pete Braust. ‘Braust’ is ‘Straub’ jumbled around. He plays my father’s partner in Atlantic City.”

So, with the great reception Michael’s books have received, should John McBain fans fear for his future in Llanview? Would he ever quit acting to be a full-time author? “It’s a good side thing, so I don’t get too obsessed with what’s going on over at ABC. But both jobs co-exist pretty well right now. It gets a little tricky switching from my day job (at ‘OLTL’) to writing, and sometimes the dialogue blurs over from one to the other. Especially if I’ve had a couple of drinks,” he adds jokingly. “But I think I’m good right now.”

Look for “Eighteen Straight Whiskeys,” “Soul Stealer” and soon-to-be-released “Soul Stealer: Blood and Rain” and “Tales of the Green Woman” online or at your local bookstore.

Kassie and James DePaiva - Michael Easton Charity Event

Click on each image to enlarge.