‘General Hospital’ Odds & Ends: The Cast Celebrates A Lifelong Fan’s 99th Birthday! Plus, A Jon Lindstrom Interview
General Hospital has been on the air since 1963. And one fan, in particular, has been watching since the very beginning. And the cast helped this lifelong fan celebrate her 99th birthday in a way that she won’t soon forget! Plus, this week’s odds and ends roundup features snippets from an interview with Jon Lindstrom.
Felicia Tabbi has been watching ‘General Hospital’ since its first episode
Many jokes have been made about how women of a certain age — specifically, of the so-called “baby boomer” generation — enjoy “their stories” far too much. But General Hospital has a lifelong fan in Felicia Tabbi — and she doesn’t care who knows it. So, for her 99th birthday, Tabbi got a very special celebration.
According to Eyewitness News, the Los Angeles resident got to celebrate her 99th birthday with the cast and crew of the show that she’s loved from the very beginning. The very special treat came courtesy of Tabbi’s daughter Cheryl, Tabbi’s neighbors, and GH producer Frank Valenti. She even got a shout-out on the GH Instagram page!
“We were lucky enough to help celebrate the 99th birthday of longtime fan Felicia Tabbi, pictured here with her daughter Cheryl and health aide, Aida Serrano,” they wrote. Cast members Josh Swickard, Rebecca Herbst, and Cassandra James were also tagged in the photo.
But that was just the beginning of Tabbi’s special day.
The cast threw her a very special party — and even made her a guest star!
According to Soaps @ SheKnows, the cast and crew of General Hospital had a celebration party for Tabbi’s birthday — complete with a cake and cupcakes! — and Parry Shen, who plays Brad, said that she also got a “roll-on” role on her favorite soap opera.
“She [Tabbi’s daughter] reached out on social media to get her mom a ‘roll-on’ role and it happened!” he said. He also stopped by the party, dressed all in black in honor of her favorite character — Jason Morgan — and took some pictures with her, too.
But, it seems, Shen’s special guest appearance didn’t quite have the effect on Tabbi that he thought it would. As it turned out, the first person she asked about was none other than Jason! “Jason! Who doesn’t like Jason? Young handsome man!” Tabbi said.
Maybe she can take a picture with the General Hospital heartthrob for her 100th birthday. Carly won’t mind. Happy belated birthday, Felicia Tabbi!
Jon Lindstrom recently gave an exclusive interview
Meanwhile, in a recent interview with Soap Opera Digest, General Hospital mainstay Jon Lindstrom revealed how the legendary soap writer Michele Val Jean — who currently writes for The Bold and the Beautiful — inspired him to really find a good story in Dr. Kevin Collins. He also said that his previous character of Ryan Chamberlin was “irredeemable.”
“Claire Labine threw Michele the reins and then she and I talked a lot about what ways Kevin could be differentiated from Ryan. Michele is an incredibly articulate, well-read person. I think Kevin’s syntax, the way he speaks, never would have developed clearly without her,” he said.
More exclusive insights from the General Hospital star can be found in this week’s issue of Soap Opera Digest, available at most checkout lines.
