Eric Braeden (Victor of "The Young and the Restless") took to social media to reveal he has bladder cancer. It was discovered while he was undergoing knee surgery. He is taking chemotherapy. He intends to continue his duties as Genoa City's man you love to hate. "I love acting and I am not going to stop." You got that? I first saw him when he played the German commandant on "The Rat Patrol." Just gorgeous. At the time, he used his birth name, Hans Gudegast. "When I arrived in Hollywood, there was a lot of backlash for performers with Germanic names. For good reason; we were coming out of the horrific Nazi regime." His run was to last a week. Bill Bell decided he had a great antihero. Victor has one very human attribute: He loves his children and wife Nikki. He does not always show it in the best of ways. He manipulates, cons, lies, cheats and steals, but as he says, "always with love." His first dastardly deed was to lock his ex-wife Julia's husband in a basement cell. As for Braeden, he continues his daily Twitter posts to be the champion for what is and can be good in the world. In interviews, he was always honest even if it did not put him in the best light. He feels guilty for making his mother end her relationship with a man she loved: "I did a terrible thing. My mother loved this man. He loved her and I would have none of it." Owning up to one's foibles is not easy, but Braeden does it. Wishing the best for one of the best.

Uber entertainer Harry Belafonte, 96, died this week. Worth over $30 million, he leaves behind his daughter Shari. She is married to Sam Behrens, who has a long list of primetime and daytime credits. He appeared on "Ryan's Hope," "General Hospital," "Sunset Beach" and "Y&R."

Jerry Springer, 79, died this week after battling cancer for the past few months. Springer, the former mayor who paid a prostitute with a check, changed the face of daytime talk. Chairs were thrown and swear words were tossed. No matter what the topic, such as nuns who killed, he would end with a solemn and uplifting comment at the end of the show.

Dick Van Dyke, 97, is headed to "Days of Our Lives." He will play a man with amnesia who deals with Marlena and John. In fact, it was Drake Hogestyn, John, who made it happen, explains Van Dyke: "Drake and I go to the same gym. He thought it would be fun and I agreed." By the way, the two gentlemen are the nicest guys in the business. Kind, generous and fun. The trifecta of what a star should be like. Deidre Hall (Marlena) marks her 5,000th episode this week. That is a lot of love, tragedy and heroic acts.

"General Hospital's" decision to have Gregory suffer from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is monumental. My uncle died from this horrific malady. You lose the use of all your functions. To make it even crueler, your mind is clear, so you know what is happening. "GH" better get this right. It is a brave move. I hope they have consulted with doctors, sufferers and relatives who have dealt with ALS.

Finola Hughes (Anna, "GH") is up for the best daytime actress Emmy. Well deserved. But what? No nomination for James Patrick Stuart, who plays her star-crossed lover, Valentin. The guy does it all from menacing to loving to spiteful and hateful. His scenes with the character's daughter Charlotte — AMAZING. He was always generous to the little actress. He never tried to dominate any scene she shared with him.

It is belt-tightening time in television. Not because anyone is on a diet. Trying to save money, numbers of episodes have been cut. Over on "Bob Hearts Abishola," 13 regulars have been cut from regular to recurring. That means they are only paid for shows they appear in. Many are only doing five.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.