She's back. Genie Francis (Laura) checks into "General Hospital" on August 26. Laura returns to help her daughter, Lulu, who killed Scott's son, Logan. Francis told Associated Press, "This is a short visit. … I would stay on, but 'General Hospital' honestly doesn't seem to want that relationship with this character at the moment." Head writer Bob Guza promised her that Laura is not returning to be killed off. Last year Francis won a Best Supporting Actress Daytime Emmy for her heart-wrenching work as Laura, who came out of her cationic state only to return when the medication she was given only had short-term effects.

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After a mere six months, "Young and Restless" has decided to cut the character of Victor's child bride, Sabrina (Raya Meddine). No word on how the character exits, but it will not be a gentle goodbye. With Hogan Sheffer coming on to co-head write Y&R, lots of stories will be given short shrift and new ones will take over. As for the character of Sabrina, it never worked. We are not talking about the "Victor marries his daughter's best friend" thing — that is typical on soaps. We are talking about the shallowness of the character. The scene where Sabrina and Victor are bidding millions to buy a piece of artwork was almost offensive. In these days, even the rich are getting poorer. Flaunting of money is not a way to win an audience's love. To have Victor almost sexually aroused because Sabrina can buy a picture for $5 million more than the $20 million he gave her was almost hurl producing. Sabrina was often cruel to Jana, a character we used to hate and have come to like. Meddine did a good job — she just had material that was not going to work.

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It's a boy for "General Hospital's" Ingo Rademacher (Jax) and fiancee Ehiku. Son Peanut Kai Rademacher came into the world on July 11. Oh, for the good old days when parents named their kids Moon Unit, Dweezil, Suri or Apple. The baby weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. "Dad, mom and baby are all great," notes a show spokesperson. "The cast and crew of 'General Hospital' are very excited for Ingo, Ehiku and the entire Rademacher family. We wish them all the best during this important milestone."

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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