I went with my mom and grandparents as a college graduation gift, and we got there with about 45 minutes to wait in line outside. It was a LONG wait, LOL! And I had trouble breathing the whole time because I was so excited & nervous. Boy, I’m glad we were one of the first groups in line! As we were approaching the check-in table, Beth arrived, and I was totally star-struck. She walked in and stood next to us for probably just a few mere seconds, and it was awesome. I kept thinking it was so surreal. With that, I was smiling through brunch. I met Debbie (jaimeGL from the message boards) when we checked in, and then we were off to Table 8.
We were at our table for a while as more and more people poured in. My mom was the one who informed me that Ricky arrived, and I freaked out a little, LOL! I think I let out a gasp or a small scream. And my mouth might have dropped when I first laid eyes on him. It was from a good distance, though, since I was still at our table. We were seated at a corner with two other women, and two people didn’t show up. So there was just the six of us. There was candy, soap, and candles for everyone to take with them. The candle was the same for everyone… It’s in a tiny mug in a box tied together with ribbon, and it has a tag that says: Gus & Harley The Perfect Blend. I totally gushed over that tag!
Eventually, everyone was seated and Ricky & Beth got everyone to be quiet as they talked. I got a couple of pictures of them from my table, but they might not come out good. They talked a lot about leaving GL, the Emmy Red Carpet show, and being on AMC, and they were very honest with us. They both talked their heads off, lol. Beth explained the GL producers telling the other Cooper family actors not to come, and it was very disappointing that they weren’t there. To me it’s more meaningful to have the brunch at a Greek restaurant if ALL the Coopers are there. Ricky and Beth mentioned how they couldn’t use the names “Gus” and “Harley” to advertise the brunch because they don’t own the characters. Beth talked about her decision to leave GL: not wanting to be there without Ricky, Harley’s future not mattering without Gus, she and Ricky not being finished telling Gus & Harley stories. Beth was crushed when she found out Ricky passed; she said he’s “a dear, dear friend” and the person she texted with complaints about GL. Beth was fine breaking up with Ricky on-screen because she believed Gus & Harley would reunite. Ricky did too. That’s what happens on soaps: “You break up, but you get back together,” Beth exclaimed. They were surprised by how separated they were due to being in totally separate stories and not even being in the same room most of the time. Beth mentioned how Gus & Harley never bumped into each other and also weren’t having sex anymore. Ricky replied, “And that’s why we’re gonna have sex right now!” LOL! And everyone cracked up and cheered. It was hard for me to stop laughing. Beth responded while still laughing, “I hope we have sex as Jake and Taylor.” HAHAHA! I so wish I got that part on video!
Beth said she was sorry for stealing Marina’s boyfriend, and she said she played Harley as if she was having a mental breakdown. Someone might have her asked this, but Beth said the best part about playing Harley for so long was being a member of the Cooper family. The Coopers were like a real family, and I agree. Frank was really her brother, and Justin was really her dad. And so on. Ricky and Beth brought up the beginning of GusH…how it wasn’t a typical love story because Beth (and Harley) was pregnant. They didn’t expect to be so popular and neither did The Powers That Be. They were just playing Gus & Harley they best they could, trying to make them work.
All My Children was discussed. They urged us to watch them on their “new show”. They didn’t say much more than what we already know. But what they did say must stay in that room. “Everything stays in the room, right,” Ricky said. They talked about their story and their new characters. Beth said Taylor is 32 and laughed at how her characters keep getting younger, LOL! Ricky said he has learned a lot from playing a doctor. He told a story about picking up cold medicine at a pharmacy where he tried helping a woman there with her medicine. He had said, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one of TV.” And the woman was like, “You’re Jake on All My Children!” Ricky is too funny! Someone said they tape AMC and only watch Jake & Taylor. Ricky and Beth laughed and said, “That works! Just watch us! You don’t have to watch the rest of the show.” HAHA! Someone also brought up voting for them in 2005 for the Irresistible Combination Award, and Beth said, “We were shocked.” There was a Q&A Session, but I don’t remember what all was asked. Someone did ask if they were going to Super Soap Weekend. Ricky was a definite yes, but Beth was a no… Beth explained how Will has a broken arm now; Hank had one last year. She joked about the three of them breaking their arms, but not her ex-husband. She went on to explain her reasons for not attending Super Soap: she wants to do Disney World with her boys since they’ve never been there. She didn’t want to be saying goodbye to them as they go on a ride with someone else. She said something like, “Who would watch them?” A bunch of people said they would, and Beth was touched by that.
I’m not sure how they wrapped things up or what the last question was, but I know Ricky was like, “I’m sure you’re all starving.” So, they finished speaking, and then they were surrounded by people taking pictures of them. I was too nervous to go up there to get pictures, so, sadly, I do not have any really good or cute photos of them together nor any photos of me with both of them. I was too timid! The door prizes were handed out. We got tickets when we checked in with numbers on them. It seemed like there were six prizes, and my group didn’t win anything. Someone at our table won an autographed script, and someone at a nearby table won an autographed pack of cigarettes, representing Gus’s smoking habit of course. I cracked up so much at that, and the woman said she didn’t smoke. My grandmom got me to go up to the crowd surrounding Ricky, and that was nerve-wracking because it was my first time being close to him. I got three pictures with him, and I was in heaven, LOL! He had a hand on my waist, I had an arm around him, and our heads touched. *SIGH* I think I said hi to him, and I told him I was nervous. He replied, “Oh, I’m nervous too.”
Eventually, the photo mob stopped taking pictures, and it was a matter of waiting to be told to stand in line for the buffet breakfast. It was a long line that ended near the restaurant’s front entrance. While in line, I did see Ricky and Beth get a little bit to eat. And I saw a cute moment between them… Ricky was standing while talking to a few people at Table 2, and Beth was behind him trying to get his attention. I think someone wanted another photo of them. I also think Beth said something about him never shutting up. She kept calling him “honey”, but he wouldn’t stop his conversation. And then she gave him a fake kick in the ass. If she kicked him, it wasn’t a hard kick. Probably just a nudge, LOL! Oh, they are adorable! I didn’t see when he finally turned around to see what she wanted.
So, we got our food, got back to our table, and ate. Of course I was keeping track of where Ricky and Beth were. And I wasn’t all that hungry because I was too excited. Ricky and Beth started out together visiting each table, but at some point they ended up in separate directions. We were visited by Beth first, and she is just so lovable & adorable. I think she stood the whole time, and I got a couple pictures with her. She signed the welcome/thanks card/poster (or whatever it’s called). I think she asked if we watched AMC, and I told her I had been watching for 12 years and that I grew up with it. I also said it’s weird seeing her and Ricky on there. I had three more things for her to sign: the July 29th 08 SOD cover, an 8x10 photo of Ricky & Beth kissing at the 04 Emmys, and the back cover of my GusH Book (a journal with all kinds of Gus/Harley stuff in it). She loved the Emmy photo! She commented on how great her hair looked, LOL, and pointed out that it was the year Ricky was nominated. I had a couple things I made for her and Ricky: 5 signs/posters that said different things and a disk for each of them. I gave it all to Beth and tried explaining the disk is for the computer and the sign are for her and Ricky to share. She was amazed how much was on the disk (wallpapers, poems, music, etc.), and the signs moved her, especially the last one with 3 GusH sayings & a small picture. Since I gave them all to her, I don’t know how Ricky reacted to them. I could have given the signs and Ricky’s disk to Ricky, but I wasn’t thinking, lol. Beth adored the GusH Book. She flipped through it and saw some pictures, a colored map of Greece, and the wedding plans I had made for GusH back in 2004. I pointed out that I even wrote the vows. The book simply amazed her. And I enjoyed my time with her. It was comfortable being with her, and she was easy to talk to. It was almost like I had known her for a while.
A little while later Ricky visited the table, and he sat next to me!!! *SIGH* I got more pictures with him. I also told him about watching AMC for 12 years and that I grew up with it. I had him sign the SOD cover and the Emmy photo. We told him how Beth loved her hair, and he chuckled. He really liked that photo too. He signed the GusH Book, and I explained how it’s all about GusH with pictures, transcripts, and more in it. He flipped through it briefly and said he wants a copy of it when it’s finished. I said I’d copy it if I knew how, and he told me to go to Kinkos. My mom asked him what it was like working with Michel E. Knight (Tad, AMC), and he told about how much fun they have on set. There were two bar scenes where something went wrong, but they kept going with the scene. One scene at The Comeback one of them was calling the bartender the wrong name, and the other tried correcting it. Another scene Michael was sitting in the wrong barstool, and Ricky tried to get him to move. Both scenes kept rolling with those unscripted moments. I was cracking up so much at that story. Ricky is so funny! And I felt very comfortable with him too. It was wonderful being so close to him. I remember staring at his stubble, his eyes, and everything else, hehe! Oh my, he is gorgeous! I think I’m in love, LOL! As he left our table, he blew us a kiss, and of course I blew one back.
Besides meeting Debbie, I also met a friend from MySpace – Brandi. She got a cute picture of me sitting with Ricky since her table was just across the room. She told me about the picture of the Coopers she had the actors sign at the other GL events over the weekend. It’s a very good recent one of them. She said Frank Dicopolous (Frank) got really choked up over it because he misses Beth. To him she really was his baby sister. I teared up just hearing that story. I watched when Beth signed the photo. She just held it & stared at it for a while and let out a huge sigh. Very sad indeed.
The brunch went way overtime. When leaving, Ricky and Beth were visiting the back tables. They were so gracious to make sure they talked to everybody, signed autographs for everyone, and got a bunch of pictures taken. They’re wonderful, and I had such a terrific time with them. I love them even more, and I cannot wait to meet them again. It was extremely sad to leave with the realization it was all over. I would have liked to give hugs and say goodbye to Ricky and Beth since it felt like I was leaving very good friends. All in all, it was the highlight of the day and one of the best times of my life.
I'll post pictures soon. I'll also post pictures of the signs I made them and the items they autographed. And I'll explain more about the disks I made them and the GusH Book. Stay tuned! :)
Here is what the special, unique candle looks like:
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