General Hospital Scoops and Spoilers

General Hospital scoops and spoilers are the bread and butter of Internet fan sites, message boards and soap opera magazines. The problem with scoops and spoilers is that they are an entertainment form in their own right and cannot always be taken seriously. For example, General Hospital scoops and spoilers have been buzzing with rumors about Vanessa Marcil’s return as Brenda Barrett for years – usually to no avail.

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Spoilers are often little more than conjecture and rumor mixed in with casting news and storyline hints. The Internet has changed the face of soap opera fandom since the mid 90s. Soap Opera Central got its start as a website by fans for other fans where they could share their mutual love of soap operas.

The Internet is often referred to as the information superhighway and it is far from surprising today how much television viewing and Internet surfing are linked, but then fans have always been willing to go an extra mile to connect with the characters and actors they love. Networks haven’t always willingly allowed Internet access to their actors, writers or producers, but gradually this has changed over the last decade.

General Hospital ‘insiders’ will post their scoops (whether it’s about a returning favorite or the exit of another) and speculation will run rampant. Fans should beware of ‘griefers’ or people who sign up to the anonymity of the Internet to post ‘false’ spoilers in an effort to raise fan ire. Sometimes the insiders get it right, such as the spoiler that was posted three months before the 2007 November Sweeps that alluded to the fact that actress Natalia Livingston would be leaving the show.

Livingston portrayed Emily Quartermaine on GH from 2003 through May of 2008. During the February sweeps of 2007, the character’s father Alan Quartermaine (played by Stuart Damon a veteran of more than 20 years) was killed off. The attrition of the Quartermaine clan in Port Charles is a bone of contention with many fans. When these spoilers leaked they were denied by actors at fan events (including Steve Burton and Rebecca Herbst), but were later confirmed when Livingston’s Emily was indeed murdered during the Black and White Ball. The actress remained with GH (portraying a hallucination) through May of 2008.

Scoops are startling news bits, often released by the General Hospital publicity office or slipped to the fans via fan events and interviews. For example, the actual return of Vanessa Marcil for a brief stint in 2003 was a huge casting scoop for General Hospital. The repeated stories of her alleged returns that decorate soap opera magazines every week are spoilers.

The major difference between a scoop and a spoiler is that spoilers are not necessarily true. The ideal ‘spoiler’ is one that reveals a storyline or plot point on General Hospital before it happens. The identity of a murderer is revealed on a website or in a magazine before the show can pull off the ‘whodunit’ then it’s a ‘spoiler.’ Spoilers by their very nature ‘spoil’ the act of storytelling by providing the end result before the tale is completed.

Looking for good GH scoops and spoilers? Remember when checking out the different sites for spoilers, that spoilers should always be read with a grain of salt. While a storyline spoiler may sound like a great idea, nothing is set as cannon until it actually airs on television.

• ABC’s Official General Hospital Site
• TV Guide
• Soap Opera Central
• Official Fan Club
• Soapzone’s GH Scoops and Spoilers

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