"General Hospital" was preempted for coverage of Nancy Reagan's funeral on Friday. Those close to Nancy and Ronald Reagan have said they had an amazing marriage. A friend of mine said they reminded her of Tom and Alice Horton on "Days of Our Lives." "Just like that couple, they supported, loved and cared for each other throughout their marriage." But that was a pretend marriage. Despite one's being a politician, it is clear the Reagans were the real deal. As for the "General Hospital" episode that was scheduled to air that day, it will now run on March 14.

Aah, March Madness is upon us, and I'm not talking about my birthday (although my older sister was pretty mad when my parents brought me home from the hospital. She was the princess for seven years and in came the interloper. But I digress). March Madness is when 16 college basketball teams vie for the championship title. Basketball fans are mad for the event. Daytime television watchers are mad in a different sense. That's because CBS airs the tournament during its daytime slots. The coverage means some shows will be preempted. This year "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful" will be off the air on March 15 and 16. Both shows will return March 19. With CBS taking a soap break you might want to tune in to NBC's "Days of Our Lives" or ABC's "General Hospital" on those days.

The opinions of daytime TV fans do count. It looked as if "General Hospital" was close to letting Rebecca Herbst walk away from the role of Elizabeth. When fans went all aflutter on Twitter about their displeasure at the possibility of the actress being let go, it appears that Herbst staying on the show is a done deal. It never hurts to check out the competition.

For an actor to create a believable character he must buy into their shtick; good and bad. "The Young and the Restless" star Eric Braeden (Victor) has often defended his character's horrific acts. When TV Guide's Michael Logan asked about the possibility that Victor's relationship with Nikki is over, Braeden went high dudgeon to protect his character. "As far as I'm concerned, Victor should dismiss Nikki. It's over. Done! Are you kidding me? She is persona non grata. I would never tolerate a wife who spoke out against me, and neither should he. The same with his children. He should disown them. Bingo! Bye! This is where the writers and I have had disagreements. They have their agenda. But I remember Victor's history. When I see a script where Victor starts to soften with someone who has done him wrong, I say, '(expletive)! I won't act this!'"

I recall the late, great James Mitchell (Palmer, "All My Children") saying, "My job as an actor is to make whatever the scribes write work. They write. I act. I would never go to a producer and say, 'My character would never do that.' If the writers think Palmer would do something then he would. He is their creation, not mine."

On the other hand, the late Michael Zaslow (Roger, "Guiding Light") played one of the most delicious bad guys in the soaps world. Zaslow would often go to the producers and tell them, "Roger would never do that."

Like they say, whatever works.

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

Photo credit: Shannon McGee