She made television history when she was named the first black person to serve as head writer of a daytime drama. On today's episode of the Daytime Confidential podcast, Michele Val Jean joins Jamey Giddens, Luke Kerr and Jillian Bowe as that soap opera, ABC Daytime's General Hospital, celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 1. 

The veteran scribe, who also wrote for Generations, Santa Barbara, Port Charles and currently pens scripts for The Bold and the Beautiful, dishes about her historic career and so much more on today’s Daytime Confidential podcast!

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No. 15: The Graysons, Revenge

Retribution is a dish best served over the holidays, if you're a member of the Grayson clan on ABC's smash primetime soap Revenge. Blackmail, corporate espionage, insider trading and not-quite-fatal tumbles off balconies could all be on the gourmet menu, but for the chance to break holiday bread with Queen Victoria (Madeleine Stowe), we'd risk it. 

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Nashville has been singing the right notes for ABC, and now the soapy drama has been rewarded with a full season pick up, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Reportedly, Nashville has averaged six million viewers and a 2.1 rating in 18-49. However, sales of its songs have helped generate revenue.

Working to its benefit, Nashville has been able to tap ancillary revenue from downloads of the T Bone Burnett-produced music from the series.  READ MORE

No. 10: Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri, General Hospital

Icy, fashion bible helmer Kate Howard (Megan Ward) wasn’t in town long before everyone figured out she was really round the way girl Connie Falconeri from Bensonhurst on General Hospital. Connie had changed her name and history decades earlier to forget about the old neighborhood and her childhood sweetheart Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). The re-christened Kate did a great job keeping the past in the past, until she became involved with Sonny again as an adult. Unfortunately for Port Charles’ answer to Anna Wintour, no one informed her that dating the dimpled don meant you might need to invest more in bullet proof vests than the latest couture!

After being shot on her wedding day—and later finding out that Sonny had slept with his four-time ex-wife Carly (Laura Wright)—Kate ended things with the corrupt coffee importer. Flash forward to 2011, when Kate returned to Port Charles just in time to help a post-Brenda (Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo) Sonny pick up the pieces. READ MORE

(No. 10) EJ DiMera, Days of Our Lives

Who would have ever guessed someone conceived by an Elvis-impersonating Stefano (Joe Mascolo)—inseminating sperm into his adopted daughter’s toothy doppelganger—would one day grow up to be so snooty and entitled?  Don’t get us wrong, we love some EJ DiMera (James Scott) on Days of Our Lives, but he can be a bit of brat!

From coercion to kidnapping, EJ has done it all to prove himself to his beloved, bazillionaire “Father”.  Now that EJ’s DiMera lineage is in question, we wonder if he will keep that upper lip quite so stiff? As long as another part of his anatomy stays stiff anytime he’s in the presence of one Samantha Brady (Alison Sweeney), we’ll still be watching this poor little (not so) rich (anymore) boy tale play out. READ MORE