Official Statement from Katherine Thurston, One Life to Live Fans Guide

Rumors are like wildfires....once they start, there seems to be no stopping them.

But I will put a stop to some very vicious rumors now!

Fans are writing me from all over saying I have said that Roger Howarth is leaving the show. I want to make this clear to everyone; I have never published, e-mailed or posted anything about Roger leaving OLTL. I have no idea if he is or is not. It would only be pure speculation on my part to guess about something like this.

I do not know who started this rumor about me and at this point, it doesn't matter, because whoever did, they were wrong!

I started this fan campaign to keep Sam and Nora and Todd and Blair together. There is no hidden agenda, as some have claimed. I am a fan of the show, just like anybody else. I want to see these two couples stay together....simple as that!

Some have said I am supporting this campaign solely for the purpose of protecting Larry Lau's job. Again, this is not true. Larry is not leaving the show; far from!

Yes, I am Larry Lau's Fan Club President as some of you have also asked. I did not intentionally omit this from the campaign. However, what I do with my OLTL site is completely separate from Larry's site. They are two different jobs, and I treat them as such! Yes, this campaign affects Larry and his OLTL character Sam, so what? Larry Lau's Official site is about the actor....not his character on this show! Which is why the statement from "Larry Lau's Official Fan Club President (meaning me)," was published on About.com and not his Official site which is about him as an actor and his career. This statement I made was about my own personal views on keeping the characters of Sam and Nora together.

I must say this whole experience has made me extremely disappointed with some of the Internet fans out there. Gary Tomlin may not always see eye to eye with what the fans want, after all how can he please everyone at the same time. This campaign is not directed towards him personally either. This campaign is about a bunch of fans who just want to see their favorite characters together. I'm sorry if this angers some of you because you want a different pairing of couples. Then I say to you; start your own campaign. This was not for you to even get involved with then. This was for the fans of Sam and Nora and Todd and Blair.

And another thing, this has proven once again what Gary Tomlin has once been quoted as saying that the Internet fans can be very vicious at times to the actors. I will definitely have to agree with him there. For those of you who know me and know how I run my own OLTL site, bashing the actors is one thing I completely don't stand for! Yet while surfing around to different forums and Web sites, I found quite a few extremely rude and disturbing comments directed towards the actors like Larry Lau (Sam), Nathaniel Marston (Al) Kassie DePaiva (Blair) and Kamar de los Reyes (Antonio). Don't you understand when you talk about somebody's weight or hair or how old they look, or even how they sing, or whatever it may be about them...you are talking about that person, not their character. These are hurtful remarks, which I don't think anybody would want to hear about themselves, including those who say these things. So what if these people are in the "limelight," it doesn't mean they don't have real feelings. I also don't think you will find this in their job description.

In conclusion, I am going to continue this campaign to help keep the characters of Sam and Nora and Todd and Blair stay together. I am not backing down just because some fans disagree and try to hurt my credibility. Those who started these rumors about me, only hurt themselves. I am continuing to receive full support from Hillary B. Smith's and Roger Howarth's fan clubs as well, and we will continue this campaign together. As far as the rumors are concerned, and as far as I am concerned....they have stopped here! You have heard the truth from me, and what you choose to do with the truth is now up to you.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at any time.

Sincerely,

Katherine Thurston
One Life to Live Fans Guide
http://onelifetolive.about.com
e-mail: onelifetolive.guide@about.com