What About that Casting Notice that Sounded like Sam McCall?

Though Kelly Monaco as re-signed to play Sam McCall, there's no doubt that the casting notice for General Hospital that went out recently was a description that feisty detective:

Caucasian female, early 30's, brunette, powerhouse who has been already established on the canvas. Hello.

It turns out that the explanation is a simple one. Monaco was still in contract negotiations when the contract deadline was reached. The producers knew that Monaco was in the process of renewing, but as a matter of protocol, they put out the casting call. This is always done if the person's signature is not on the dotted line by the deadline date. In fact, Monaco was informed that this was being done, and that it was, in fact, just a formality. Thus, the confusion.

Photo: Ron Tom/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.