The powers that be might not have been impressed with Jupiter native Drew Garrett’s performance as damaged mob prince Michael Corinthos on “General Hospital,” but the folks at the Daytime Emmys apparently are.

Garrett, who was dismissed from the show in late March after a year in the role, was named one of the five nominees in the Oustanding Younger Actor category this morning. He goes up against Drew Tyler Bell of “The Bold and the Beautiful,”  Dylan Patton of “Days of our Lives,” Scott Clifton of “One Life to Live”  and Zack Conroy of  ”Guiding Light.”

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A couple of weeks ago, after the announcement that Jupiter native and former Dreyfoos School For the Arts student Drew Garrett had been let go from the pivotal role of “General Hospital” mob spawn Michael Corinthos, an ABC Daytime spokesman told me that the network’s statement wishing Garrett well “spoke for itself.”

Apparently, Garrett’s fans, many of whom have been very vocal with this displeasure about his apparent firing, aren’t content to let that be the final word.

“I would hope that ABC would be smart and listen to their fans,” says Sarah Schaub of Albert Lea, Minnesota, one of several loyal “GH” viewers who’ve started a campaign on Twitter, Facebook and stations like West Palm Beach ABC affiliate WPBF to get Garrett back on the show.  ”We are the ones who invest our lives in these characters 5 days a week, and some of us have for 15-30 years of our lives. Does that not show our loyalty and that we should be at least heard? I think ABC at least acknowledging they handled this wrong would be a step in the right direction.”

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Well, sometimes checking out soap opera message boards has its benefits for work (tell your boss!) Just found out that Jupiter native and former Dreyfoos School For The Arts student Drew Garrett has been replaced in the role of brain-damaged mob scion Michael Corinthos on “General Hospital” by former “Wizards of Waverly Place” and “Suite Life of Zach and Cody” actor Chad Duell.

The statement from ABC reads that the network “thanks (Garrett) for his time and wishes him well” in the future, which just sounds…bad. I tried to get something more out of my contact at ABC Daytime, who would only say that the story was true and that “the statement speaks for itself.”

Ouch.
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Quick programming note: Fans of “Days of Our Lives” may remember a mean girl named Kinsey who showed up a few months ago to make life Hell for sweet teen mom Mia. Well, she’s back today, probably still mean. And she’s still played by 17-year-old Shelby Young, who was born in Boca Raton and lived here through middle school before moving to L.A.

Shelby, who has also been on “Everybody Hates Chris,” is seen here with her boyfriend, Charlie McDermott, who co-stars on ABC’s “The Middle” with Patricia Heaton.

Mia’s a really sweet character, but here’s hoping for our homegirl’s sake that Kinsey’s back to torture her on a permanent basis!

The Best of the decade: A wrap up of the decade’s cultural highs and lows: The Top 10 pop culture trends | The Top 10 albums | The Top 10 Movies | The Top 10 TV shows

1. The death of the CD: Nearly 20 years ago, record stores dumped the records and replaced them with the bright, shiny compact disc. Unfortunately for those stores, the CD itself has been replaced with something that won’t fit on a dusty shelf. Digital music, from the much-maligned and rehabbed Napster, to the all-powerful iTunes, have put more songs at a listener’s fingertips than could ever be housed in one physical store. Fans can virtually make their own albums, which means that brick and mortar stores are no longer necessary (RIP, Tower Records.) Read the full story

CBS cancels ‘As The World Turns’

So CBS continues its retreat from the daytime TV business with the announcement that it’s cancelling “As The World Turns,” the 50-year-old soap that introduced Meg Ryan, Courtney Cox, Ming Na, Parker Posey, Lauryn Hill, Julianne Moore, Lea Salonga and Tamara Tunie. Having cancelled “Guiding Light” in September, the network responded to low ratings and the fact that societal changes are against the whole genre – more women are working instead of being at home, and there are so many more choices even if you are home.

But “ATWT,” which, at one time, was my favorite TV show, period, can’t just blame those trends for a loss of viewership. I can name at least four storylines or character developments within the last ten years that had loyal watchers freaking out, mostly because a) they completely ignored history and b) they weren’t very good. Here are four off the top of my head:

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Current stars of CBS' 'As The World Turns' include Jon Hensley, Michael Park, Maura West and Colleen Zenk Pinter. (CBS)

Pop Shop: Did these four dumb moves kill ‘ATWT’?

CBS canceled “As the World Turns” on Tuesday, putting the company that coined the phrase “soap operas” out of the business of making daytime dramas for the first time in 76 years.

“As the World Turns” has been on the air since 1956 and televised its 13,661st episode Tuesday. Its last episode will be next September, the network said.

It’s the second daytime drama CBS has canceled in a year, after “Guiding Light.” Both shows were produced by a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, the company for which the term “soap operas” was created because it used the shows to hawk products like Ivory soap and Duz laundry detergent.
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While I haven’t been a fan of the promo campaign heralding his return, I have to say I was over the moon at Jonathan Jackson’s return to the role that made him famous, “General Hospital”‘s charming Lucky Spencer. The actor, who left “GH” ten years ago, fit back into the police officer shoes of Lucky, spawn of supercouple Luke and Laura. He’s retained all of the soul and passion he had ten years ago – he’s also filled out some and, while more slight than the last two Luckys, has become such a handsome man. And his sweet smile is a welcome sight on this show full of pain, deception and mob hits.

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Say what?

In a move that I cannot even believe, that had me clapping like a drunken seal, “General Hospital” has cast JAMES FRANCO as…who cares as what? James “Pineapple Express” Movie Star Hottest of The Hot Franco is doing a two-month stint on “General Hospital.” A soap opera. A soap opera that sometimes seems to plot the end of story lines by taking a shot of whiskey, putting on a blindfold and throwing a dart over its shoulder.

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I’m going to cry. There’s no doubt about that.

In about 20 minutes, I will provide written witness, in real time, of the end of “Guiding Light,” which has been part of my life for most of my life, as well as others’. It’s going to be hard, and glorious, and sad.

I’d like you to come along with me.

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