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by Trish Fodor Are Coop and Logan GH’s Starsky & Hutch?Ah, travel back with me to 1975 when Aaron Spelling ruled to airwaves and introduced a certain salt and pepper duo that actually gave Sonny and Jason a run for their money in all things homoerotic.
I admit it. At age eleven I was enthralled with the stars of the campy cop show and even bought a tacky yellow T-shirt bearing their likeness. Detectives Dave Starsky and Ken Hutchinson (played by Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul) were bound to be constellations in Tiger Beat galaxy of stars. (This is a trivia article. How many of you read that teen rag? Be honest!) The eccentric cast was well rounded by Antonio Fargas as Huggy Bear (so much better than Snoop Dog’s version in the recent movie) and a string of scantily clad stereotypical bimbos ranging from blondes, to brunettes and red heads.
Long before Kit was the automotive sidekick on Knight Rider, Starsky’s red and white striped Ford Grand Torino screeched through the streets in hot pursuit of drug dealers, pimps and other greasy criminal types running amuck. And who could forget that hip Tom Scott tune, which opened each week’s episode? (In case you did, the link is below, courtesy of Amazon.com.) http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B000AOENJK002004/ref=mu_sam_wma_002_004 GH’s latest shootout at Kelly’s featured a few choice show motion shots of Cooper Barrett and Logan Hayes (trips off the tongue like “Lincoln Hayes” from The Mod Squad, eh?), guns drawn and ready for action. My first thought? What a refreshing change from the usual suspects in a Guzaesque “bang bang” extravaganza. Sure, we got our signature shots of Jason and his big, er … gun and Sonny trying to look like he’s actually made a round of target practice lately. There were countess day players looking all menacing as Lorenzo’s boys but my eyes were glued to Coop and Logan. Some folks have called them a snooze and I have to admit that the lack of compelling writing for either character is painfully evident but not all that surprising given the source. GH brought these two on with seemingly little purpose other than to flesh out the stable of younger talent who Brian Frons touts as “the future generation.” That all is about to change with the production of GH Night Shift, which supposedly begins taping this week for it’s thirteen-episode run on SoapNet. I was skeptical at first but have decided to view this spin-off with an open mind. After all, with Coop and Logan on the scene, and Spinelli and Patrick and Robin, it can’t be all that bad, right? I’m waiting, Mr. Guza. Dazzle me. Cooper Barrett (we’ll call him GH’s little Starsky) first arrived in Port Charles hiding behind a ski mask as “Three”, one of Mr. Craig’s (a.k.a. James Bronsan? Gimme a brake!) armed henchmen in the MetroCourt hostage crisis. In what soon became a rather tedious time in captivity, the scenes between Maxie and her masked gunman entertained me more than shenanigans that were going on in the lobby. Whereas “Kick Ass Carly” and “Sweet Sam” were busy sneering at their captor as he engaged them in silly head games, Maxie and Coop were actually breaking ground and gradually breaking in this new character. After a summer of Bratsy Maxie, I finally felt some compassion for this troubled young woman and for Cooper who seemed out of his element as one of Mr. Craig’s men. His service in Iraq added more credibility to his character and I’ll be interested in seeing how he manages to pull double agent duty off for Sonny Corinthos as a new member of the Port Charles’s (not so) finest. DA Lansing is already suspicious. Word of warning Coop, it’s more destructive to be caught in between Adella’s boys than you think – trust me. Logan blew into town all cocky and greedy with a distinctive air reminiscent of a young Scotty Baldwin. Whether or not he turns out to be a Baldwin by blood, Josh Duhon (who portrays Logan) either spent hours studying Kin Shriner’s mannerisms or he’s a natural dead ringer. The similarities are delightfully creepy. What I like about Logan is that he offers no apologies for who he is nor hides his ambition. In a recent conversation with Lulu Spencer after she’d paid him a rare compliment, he brushed it off by telling her not to get too grateful because he never does anything without personal gain in mind. Such brashness most characters tend to hide or make excuses for but not Logan. If he does, in fact, desire a future in the Corinthos organization, Sonny would be wise to jump at the chance to hire the self-service mercenary. Of course, if Logan IS the son of Port Charles’s newly appointed special prosecutor, and ends up on the mob squad, then things will truly get complicated. Add Ric Lansing to the equation somewhere and it could get downright interesting. Careful GH, you may just be onto something here! The chemistry between Logan and Lulu has not escaped me either. Whereas Spinelli is like a loyal puppy dog with Dungeon’s and Dragon’s tendencies, Dylan is waaay too theatrical and Milo is a can shy of a six pack on occasion, Logan has what it takes to really challenge a Spencer. Bring back the Baldwin connection and it’s history repeating itself; Laura and Scotty become Lulu and Logan. Yes, Mr. Frons, that IS the next generation. And what delightful catfights are we in store for if Coop and Maxie and Logan and Lulu cross paths? Not since Krystal Carrington and Alexis Carrington Colby has there been such a promising recipe for a few fun rounds in the mud. Now all Coop and Logan need is a sweet ride! Any ideas GH? You could pick up a new sponsor by showcasing their wheels and distract the folks across the way at Grey’s Anatomy by screeching through the parking lot! Eventually, Sonny and Jason could blow it up. The possibilities for “click boom” are endless. This time I deferred from song lyrics for a cool instrumental track but, have no fear, the marriage of words and music will be back. In the meantime, pop in a good CD, sit back and enjoy the music! Groovy! Trish
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