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Show by Joey Sasso CONFIDENTIAL REPORT: Genie Francis' shocking decision to leave "General Hospital" has triggered a bitter controversy on the set of the top-rated ABC soap opera. But the 19-year-old star insists she had no choice but to quit before the relentless grind wore her out. Genie, who has been playing sexy Laura Webber on the show since the age of 14, plans to walk out on December 9, when her contract expires. Her spokesman, Paul Burditch, says ABC network executives refused to meet her demands for more money and a lighter work schedule. "She's done 1,000 episodes in five years, and the pressure and strain were getting to be too much," he told me. "She wanted fewer appearances and more money, but ABC wouldn't come up with a better contract." con-tract." Genie's father, veteran actor Ivor Francis, told me that his daughter, who works backbreaking 14-hour days on the soap, is "exhausted and utterly drained. I've worked in soap operas, so I know the price you have to pay in terms of stress," he says. "It's a killing schedule for an adult. For a teenager like Genie, I thought it would be disastrous." Francis reveals that his daughter's departure has caused bitter feelings among some of the "General Hospital" cast. "When Genie told them she was leaving, it was like an atom bomb explosion. She doesn't talk about it too much, but I know there was a lot of pressure put on her to stay. A lot of people were angry with her for what they felt was her dissection of a winning formula." TV BACKSTAGE: What's moo with Cosmic Cow? Our "Too Close for Comfort" TV star is now big on college campuses: Army says they need Cosmic Cow because she will get Navy's goat; Cornell's Big Red Bear would love to meet Cosmic Cow and get high above Cayuga's waters; Eastern Kentucky Ken-tucky likes Cosmic Cow because she is an anti-sesquipedalian anti-sesquipedalian bovine (doesn't like big words); Cincinnati thinks Cosmic Cow is an udder-ly udder-ly delichtful idea; the University i Mm of Florida says Cosmic Cow puts their Gators in the moo-ooo-ooo-ood . . . and, Penn State is planning to invite Cosmic Cow to speak to freshman on the value of bull sessions. Very amooz-ing-but you don't have to go to school to have fun. The next 100 fans to send in a punny one-liner will receive an official and colorful color-ful Cosmic Cow 'Fan Club button. Please send your gag to Cosmic Cow Fan Club, P.O. Box 215, Pearl River, N.Y. 10965. TV CLOSEUP; There is a lot of shouting going on these days by various religious groups as to what is good and what is bad for television. Kathryn Crosby obviously doesn't think religion should enter into a television production unless it is a legitimate Sunday morning video church scene. Kathryn recently portrayed a woman whose husband was in a mental institution and was being be-ing urged by her children to seek happiness with another man by getting a divorce. The show was sponsored by the Lutheran Church and Kathryn, of course, is a devout Catholic. "Why should your religion govern your roles?" she asks. "I assume In-grid In-grid Bergman is Lutheran and she played Joan of Arc. What is the difference? In my case religion didn't enter the picture I just thought the role I played was the best I've been offered in a long TC TV COMPUIOQ SERVICES. INC |