2006 Daytime Emmys: Younger Male

This is a fun category that includes Passions' (well NBC's for that matter) lone nominee.

Nominees and Episodes

Van Hansis, ATWT
Holden and Luke talk about Luke's behavior
Luke and Damian have it out over family legacy/gayness

Bryton McClure, YR
Devon says goodbye to birth mother
Devon confront Carmen about Dru

Tom Pelphrey, GL
Jonathan and Reva at the bridge
Jonathan finds out Reva has not drove off bridge

Jesse Soffer, ATWT
Gwen confronts Will about his one night stand with Jade
Will begs for forgiveness from Gwen

James Stevenson, PS
Jared at job interview; learns Theresa's identity
Jared & Ethan get into argument


Van Hansis is very good and shows some depth including much anger is his argument with Damian.

Bryton could very well win. He is outstanding when I focus on him on these reels. However, when I watch the show he just an "also there" and doesn't pop out. Of course, this could say more about his character than the actor playing that role.

Tom Pelphrey is outstanding in both episodes. The only thing that might keep him from back-to-back Emmy's is that he cries in both episodes.

Jesse Soffer is just wonderful. My only concern is that Jennifer Landon is just "more wonderfuller" that she might outshine him. This could be his year.

James Stevenson has two good episodes and shows a lot of emotions. Unfortunately, he has silly Passions' writing to act with and that will only count against him.

Who will win: Van Hansis

Who should win: Pelphrey

I would vote for: Soffer

2006 Daytime Emmys: Non-soap Categories

Wow! The big day is Friday! I can hardly wait.

I have been procrastinating but time to do those Emmy picks.

I'll start with some non-soap categories (below) and then do individual posts for each daytime drama category.


And, without further ado:

Game Show Host

Nominees and episodes

Ben Bailey, Cash Cab
Brother and Sister who double their money


Bob Barker, TPIR
1st episode of 35th season


Pat Sajak, Wheel
on location in Texas


Alex Trebek, Jeopardy!
Doug Savant, Jane Kazmarek,


Meredith Viera, Millionaire
Whassupp! episode


I love cash cab, so I won't mind them winning. However, there is nothing spectacular on their tape, Wheel's or Jeopardy's.

This is a Viera vs Barker race and I am pulling for Barker just because his last episode airs on the same day as the telecast.

Who will win: Toss-up between Barker and Viera

Who should win: Barker

I would vote for: Barker



Talk Show Host

Nominees and episodes

Tyra Banks
Guest: Janet Jackson, visit to LA school


Ellen DeGeneres
Guests: Simon Cowell, James Blunt, music prodigy


Phil McGraw
Dr. Phil confronts man who molested own daughter


Rachel Ray
Sick girl gets to meet her idol, Jessica Simpson


Soap Talk
Guests: Peter Bergman, wives of Soap Hunks


The View
Guests: James Brolin, Jeffrey Carlson (AMC)


Tyra Banks is surprisingly good in her episode.
Ellen's episode is her doing what she does best.
Dr. Phil is his usual aggressive self in a intense episode where a man is allegedly molesting his 3-year old daughter. It is the best of all the episodes, but the subject matter may turn of some voters.
Rachel Ray's episode is good and her guests never overshadow her.
Soap Talk is good with the Peter Bergman, but is just crap with the wives segment. Why are they nominated.
The View could have picked 50 better episodes and ruined their chances with a bad pick. However, the publicity the show has garnered—and that it has truly improved in the past year—might make it some sort of dark horse.


What this category comes down to is this a "light and breezy" category (e.g. Ellen, Soap Talk) or more hard hitting (Dr. Phil). I would like to think that the academy think it is the former and thus this is really between Ellen and Tyra.


Morning Show

Nominees and episodes

Good Morning America

in-depth North Korea story


Live with Regis & Kelly

Ashton Kutcher, Barenaked Ladies, and World Records


The Today Show
Pres Clinton, surgical mistakes, and break dancing


Good Morning America has a good overall episode. They are very in-depth with the North Korea coverage and also include the new trend into walk-in medical services at shopping centers and department stores.
Live with Regis & Kelly just seems to be in the wrong category. The show always jokes about how they always lose "Talk Show", so maybe they took themselves out of that and into this new category hoping for a win. But, they just look silly when compared with the other two nominees.
The Today Show is good with the Bill Clinton interview but not great. The other stuff runs along the same lines. And, they only submitted an episode that was 26 minutes of their usual 3-4 hour broadcast. It seems if they were going to edit and this was the best they have, they don't have much compared to GMA.


This is a first time for this category and will define itself with how it awards this new Emmy. Much like the Talk Show category, it needs to determine if it is more "talk show"-ish or more news. It really should be a race between GMA and Today, with GMA the favorite. However, Today could garner votes just on popularity and reputation.


Who will win: Good Morning America

Who should win: Good Morning America

I would vote for: Good Morning America

BB: A Gut Feeling about this In-Vitro Thing PART II

My sister called a while back and said she thought the eggs were probably Brooke's. After the lab assistants cut-off conversation with Bridget the other day, I beginning to think my sister's suspicions were true.

Questions if that is the case:
1) Is Bridget doing this on purpose? If not, I really don't get her overjoyous reactions to her ex-husband having a baby with Taylor.

2) What are the legal ramifications? Say Brooke was just storing her eggs for later use, they get labeled as Marrone (since the hospital said they still had her under that name) and seeing the name they are used for Taylor in-vitro procedure.
Does Brooke have legal claim on the child?
I know there is precedence. Didn't some real-life couple have this issue recently? I will have to look up what the decision was, but I think it included a full refund of $$s and paying for the child's school. However, I am not sure if the biological father/couple had any recourse over claiming what is their biological child.

3) Does this mean Brooke and Ridge are not going to get back together? (Okay, that's just me being selfish.)

YR: Newman Jet Crashes

Wow!
All I can say is "Wow!"

What a super episode of Y&R today as everyone found out about the Newman's plane crash.

ATWT: Doing the Happy Dance

Carly's back! Carly's back! Carly's back.

Yippee, yippee, yipee!!

BB: A Gut Feeling about this In-Vitro Thing

First, how weird is it that Bridget is the doctor for Nick and Taylor's attempt to have a child? She isn't even an OB-GYN, let alone a fertility specialist.

But, wouldn't it be a weird twist if Bridget was the secret egg donor for the baby? She, too, has wanted to give Nick a child so it is in the realm of possibility.

I have a gut feeling this is where we are going. IF not, it should be as it would really add a twist to the "women in love with Nick" story.

Passions saved by DirecTV

According to TV Guide, DirecTV will include new, original episodes of Passions on its original programming channel (Channel 101 for my fellow DirecTVers).
This is good news not only for Passions fans but for all soap fans. No longer should we worry about our soaps' demise, if cable/satellite outlets are willing to pickup the production.

ATWT: Hank and Skank

If I post about Katie, I guess I should post about Henry. I love Henry (hey, everybody loves Henry). I am happy that Henry's portrayer, Trent Dawson, is getting the well-deserved air time. And I may be in the minority, but I hate the Henry and Vienna pairing.

It seems so contrived. It was like "instant couple, just add sex". And, it seems to be only about sex with these two. When Vienna proposed to Henry, the reasoning behind her wanting marriage was all based on Henry's skills in the bedroom. And, she isn't shy about claiming how many men she had to compare Henry to come to this conclusion.

There is no romance. There wasn't any drama (at least not until Katie and Brad poked into it). What makes me want to invest in this couple?

I want Henry with a nice girl. Maybe some long-lost Snyder cousin. Someone who....well, maybe the writers can hire me and I can give them the whole details on what would make a good Henry relationship and storyline.

ATWT: K-K-K-Katie flirting with T-T-T-Trouble

It wasn't that long ago, that Katie was reviled by ATWT viewers for her shabby treatment of Henry. I mean, everyone loves Henry.

Now, Terri Colombino's Katie is being thrust into another storyline that will not set well with fans--the blossoming romance between her and Jack. There is a lot of things you can do on ATWT, but mess with Carly/Jack is not one of them. I remember (with much sorrow) the hate mail, including death threats, that were heaped upon Sarah Brown's when Julia went after an amnesiac Jack. I hope that Ms. Colombino is not subjected to the same.

That said, Katie stay away from Jack! Of course, the viewer knows that Carly's portrayer, Maura West, was away on maternity leave and would return. The characters of Jack and Katie do not know what we know.

34th Daytime Emmys: Writing

Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL * CBS
BRADLEY BELL, HEAD WRITER

GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC
ROBERT GUZA, JR., HEAD WRITER
CHARLES PRATT, JR., HEAD WRITER

GUIDING LIGHT * CBS
DAVID KREIZMAN, HEAD WRITER
DONNA SWAJESKI, CO-HEAD WRITER

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS
LYNN MARIE LATHAM, HEAD WRITER
KAY ALDEN, HEAD WRITER
JOHN F. SMITH, HEAD WRITER
SCOTT HAMNER, CO-HEAD WRITER



About what you would expect in this category. Perennial nominee As the World Turns is left out. Makes you wonder if heads (or headwriters) will roll with the lack of nominations here and in the Series category. Many people think OLTL will win in Series. However, they are not in the writing category. Hmmm…perhaps the same episodes were not submitted during the pre-nomination process.

34th Daytime Emmys: Younger Male Lead

Outstanding Younger Actor In A Drama Series

VAN HANSIS, AS LUKE SNYDER AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS
JESSE SOFFER, AS WILL MUNSON AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS
TOM PELPHREY, AS JONATHAN RANDALL GUIDING LIGHT * CBS
JAMES STEVENSON, AS JARED CASEY PASSIONS * NBC
BRYTON MCCLURE, AS DEVON HAMILTON THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS

Wow! What a category! Van Hansis has great stuff from his coming out storyline. Jesse Soffer and Tom Pelphrey are always great. I admittedly am not familiar with lone NBC nominee James Stevenson. Bryton McClure had his meningitis/deaf storyline that he made believable as well as his involvement in the Carmen Mesta murder whodoneit.

34th Daytime Emmys: Younger Female Lead

Outstanding Younger Actress In A Drama Series

LEVEN RAMBIN, AS LILY MONTGOMERY ALL MY CHILDREN * ABC
JENNIFER LANDON, AS GWEN MUNSON AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS
ALEXANDRA CHANDO, AS MADDIE COLEMAN AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS
JULIE BERMAN, AS LULU SPENCER GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC
STEPHANIE GATSCHET, AS TAMMY WINSLOW GUIDING LIGHT * CBS

Leven Ramblin had a great year last year and its hard to believe she is still a teenager. Most of the buzz this year has been around Julie Berman's Lulu. However, I wouldn't count out any of the young ladies from CBS.

34th Daytime Emmys: Supporting Actor Nominees

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

TRENT DAWSON, AS HENRY COLEMAN AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS
RICK HEARST, AS RIC LANSING GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC
DAN GAUTHIER, AS KEVIN BUCHANAN ONE LIFE TO LIVE * ABC
GREG RIKAART, AS KEVIN FISHER THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS
KRISTOFF ST. JOHN, AS NEIL WINTERS THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS

Yippe for Trent Dawson. I love him! That said, I can't think of any outstanding stories for any of these actors. I guess that is the true sign of "supporting". However, I think Rikaart and Hearst might be seen as front runners.

34th Daytime Emmys: Supporting Actress Nominations

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

LESLI KAY, AS FELICIA FORRESTER THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL * CBS
GENIE FRANCIS, AS LAURA SPENCER GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC
REBECCA HERBST, AS ELIZABETH WEBBER GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC
GINA TOGNONI, AS DINAH MARLER GUIDING LIGHT * CBS
RENEE ELISE GOLDSBERRY, AS EVANGELINE WILLIAMSON ONE LIFE TO LIVE * ABC
HEATHER TOM, AS KELLY CRAMER ONE LIFE TO LIVE * ABC


This is always a killer category—hard to get in and hard to pick who wins. At the beginning of the year, everyone was lauding Leslie Kay's cancer storyline. All the other nominees are very strong. Genie Francis is a surprise nominee just because she was only on for two weeks. Perhaps a Guest Starring category, such as the Primetime Emmys have, should be instituted for actors like Francis and Betty White.

34th Daytime Emmys: Lead Actor Nominees

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

MICHAEL PARK, AS JACK SNYDER AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS
ANTHONY GEARY, AS LUKE SPENCER GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC
RICKY PAULL GOLDIN, AS GUS AITORO GUIDING LIGHT * CBS
PETER BERGMAN, AS JACK ABBOTT THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS
CHRISTIAN LEBLANC, AS MICHAEL BALDWIN THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS

Yeah, Michael Park!
No surprise with Anthony Geary's inclusion. He is the standard bearer in this category. Peter Bergman had a great year and should be the obvious winner. However, I can think of strong episodes for both Park and Goldin who could be the surprise winner. Christian LeBlanc is always good and will probably always be in this category.

34th Daytime Emmys: Lead Actress Nominations

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

MAURA WEST, AS CARLY SNYDER AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS
CRYSTAL CHAPPELL, AS OLIVIA SPENCER GUIDING LIGHT * CBS
KIM ZIMMER, AS REVA SHAYNE LEWIS GUIDING LIGHT * CBS
JEANNE COOPER, AS KATHERINE CHANCELLOR THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS
MICHELLE STAFFORD, AS PHYLLIS SUMMERS NEWMAN THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS


I barely heard the other nominations since I was jumping and shouting for joy over Maura's nominations. Although now I can barely hear over the roar that CBS locked all nominations in this category. Notable oversights are Nancy Lee Grahn (GH) and Susan Flannery (BB).
My theory on the latter is that she intentionally didn't submit well (because she has great material there in December) in hopes that would bring Kathy Kelley Lang into the fold. Just a theory.
How is Jeanne Cooper in this category? I am not doubting her acting skills, just her "lead" placement.
My hopes are for Maura West. But, too early to predict until you see the submitted episodes.

34th Daytime Emmys: Outstanding Series nominees

Outstanding Series—Daytime Drama

Bold and the Beautiful
Guiding Light
One Life to Live
Young and the Restless

Bold and the Beautiful had a usual year, which comparatively is great by other show standards. They ended the year on a high with an outstanding storyline regarding childhood abuse.
Oh please, please, please let Guiding Light win. It will be the cherry on the top of their 70th anniversary.
One Life to Live had some great storylines this year. I could have left the Tess/Jess crap, but the Todd execution storyline was compelling. It was the type of drama that makes you tune back in everyday.
Young and the Restless is wonderful. They are the best at intertwining all of their storylines. However, that hardly matters when you just submit two episodes for consideration.

Notable exclusions are last year's winner, General Hospital, as well as perennial nominee As the World Turns. However, the latter has been lacking in great storyline so not really surprising (just notable).

Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced

Here is the list of acting and show categories. I will have comments and other categories later today. (Well, one comment--yeah Ladies of CBS for sweeping the Leading Actress category!)

OutstandingDaytime Drama
Bold and the Beautiful
Guiding Light
One Life to Life
Young and the Restless

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS MAURA WEST, AS CARLY SNYDER
GUIDING LIGHT * CBS CRYSTAL CHAPPELL, AS OLIVIA SPENCER
GUIDING LIGHT * CBS KIM ZIMMER, AS REVA SHAYNE LEWIS
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS JEANNE COOPER, AS KATHERINE CHANCELLOR
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS MICHELLE STAFFORD, AS PHYLLIS SUMMERS NEWMAN

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS MICHAEL PARK, AS JACK SNYDER
GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC ANTHONY GEARY, AS LUKE SPENCER
GUIDING LIGHT * CBS RICKY PAULL GOLDIN, AS GUS AITORO
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS PETER BERGMAN, AS JACK ABBOTT
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS CHRISTIAN LEBLANC, AS MICHAEL BALDWIN

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL * CBS LESLI KAY, AS FELICIA FORRESTER
GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC GENIE FRANCIS, AS LAURA SPENCER
GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC REBECCA HERBST, AS ELIZABETH WEBBER
GUIDING LIGHT * CBS GINA TOGNONI, AS DINAH MARLER
ONE LIFE TO LIVE * ABC RENEE ELISE GOLDSBERRY, AS EVANGELINE WILLIAMSON
ONE LIFE TO LIVE * ABC HEATHER TOM, AS KELLY CRAMER

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS TRENT DAWSON, AS HENRY COLEMAN
GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC RICK HEARST, AS RIC LANSING
ONE LIFE TO LIVE * ABC DAN GAUTHIER, AS KEVIN BUCHANAN
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS GREG RIKAART, AS KEVIN FISHER
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS KRISTOFF ST. JOHN, AS NEIL WINTERS

Outstanding Younger Actress In A Drama Series
ALL MY CHILDREN * ABC LEVEN RAMBIN, AS LILY MONTGOMERY
AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS JENNIFER LANDON, AS GWEN MUNSON
AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS ALEXANDRA CHANDO, AS MADDIE COLEMAN
GENERAL HOSPITAL * ABC JULIE BERMAN, AS LULU SPENCER
GUIDING LIGHT * CBS STEPHANIE GATSCHET, AS TAMMY WINSLOW

Outstanding Younger Actor In A Drama Series
AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS VAN HANSIS, AS LUKE SNYDER
AS THE WORLD TURNS * CBS JESSE SOFFER, AS WILL MUNSON
GUIDING LIGHT * CBS TOM PELPHREY, AS JONATHAN RANDALL
PASSIONS * NBCJ AMES STEVENSON, AS JARED CASEY
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS * CBS BRYTON MCCLURE, AS DEVON HAMILTON

ATWT: Craig--out with the new, in with the old

I really didn't care for Jeffrey Meek's portrayal of Craig when he first appeared. It seemed too James Stenbeck-ish for my taste. Now, that could probably be attributed to the writing. And, he has grown on me with his pursuit of Meg.

Well, I guess CBS decided to get rid of that "growth" for me and have fired Jeffrey Meek and replaced him with original Craig portrayer, Scott Bryce.

Maybe next year they can bring back Hunt Block and we can have a Mongtomery-go-round. Or, is it a Craigousel

ATWT: I'm not liking Henry and Vienna

I know I am in the minority, but I am not liking the Henry and Vienna storyline. Henry, once again, is paired up with a self-centered diva-wannabe. I guess that does give them something in common since Henry tends to make the woman the center of his world.
Why can't they pair Henry up with a nice girl? Perhaps some long-lost Snyder cousin. Or Meg. Anyone but Katie and her burnette twin, Vienna.


P.S. The only good thing about this is mucho airtime for Trent Dawson.

BB: Where's Harry?

Harry was brought onto the show to create a Harry/Phoebe/Shane triangle. Of course, this was thrown out the window for the hideous Rick/Phoebe storyline.
However, while Shane's leaving has been explained, nothing has been said about Harry. He was living on Nick's boat--which last week was run over by a tanker when Taylor and Nick went for a nighttime cruise.
Yet, we haven't seen Nick contact him to say what happened to the belongings he kept on the boat. And, isn't it a little rude to just take off with someone's "home" for the evening? And to demolish it while you are out?

Of course, there is room for Harry at Massimo's house.

YR: Why would Jack even want to be a State Senator?

Let's see. Jack has been the CEO of several large international corporations. Yet, he is willing to give this up for the less-than-powerful position of state senator. US Senator I could see. Governor, would be logical. State senator makes no sense!

SoapNet: Fantasy Soap League

Maybe this is old news, but I just came across this today. SoapNet is having a Fantasy Soap Game that is modeled after fantasy sports leagues.
I am signing up today!
Information is available at their website.

No CBS stories on Thursday and Friday

CBS will pre-empt its entire daytime lineup this Thursday and Friday (3/15 and 3/16) for NCAA basketball coverage.

A lot of soap fans complain about this, but not the Goddess! I love college hoops and tourney time!

ATWT: That little girl is gonna eat that big steak?

I had to laugh on Thursdays episode of ATWT. Gwen, trying to kill time until Will returns from Washington and to keep her mind of being haunted by the brother-in-law she helped bury, decides to eat dinner. She comes back with this huge steak--it covered the whole plate! Is Gwen on Atkins?! :)

It was used later in the episode to make it appear blood was running off the plate and it still looked huge.

Since then, I have been craving a good piece of prime rib.

YR: The Young and the DaVinci

Is this storyline finally over now that the treasure has been found? Or do we still have lose ends because Jenna is on the loose?

The Colleen in the burning building is a good tie to history. However, a portion may be too closely tied to recent history. It was just a year or two ago that we had the Cassie dies storyline where Daniel is assumed guilty because Cassie never wakes up enough to reveal the truth.

Best part of this story: Colleen asking for paper to leave a goodbye note to her family before she dies in a burning building. Wouldn't the paper burn, too?

Passions Cancelled

During the TV critics tour of Los Angeles, NBC triumphantly announced that The Today Show would be going to 4 hours. The victim on this nonsense is Passions.

Now, I admit, I am no fan of Passions. I find it rather silly. I laugh each time Robyn is home from some offbeat school holiday and calls me to ask "Have you watched this Passions show, it is CRAZY?!" However, the show does great with the younger demographic. And, for the most part soap fans are loyal. This is why I have always said that NBC should stick with Passions because it could beat Y&R in the ratings in a decade or so. Alas, network executives have no patience.

Which leads to the question WHY? The Today Show is too long as it now stands. Do we really need one more hour of cooking segments, celebrity interviews and lame weather jokes?

And, not only does it speak to the little patience that network execs possess, it speaks volumes to what may possibly be the future of soaps.

Death doesn't become her

Within a week's period of time, All My Children and Guiding Light killed off popular characters(Dixie and Tammy, respectively). No sooner was it announced that AMC was killling off the beloved Dixie, that fans started to speculate on how it would happen and how she could return.

On some boards, Tammy's death happened on the same day that fans speculated on how she could be "not really dead." In fact, more time has been spent posting about how these folks could return than on sadness that the character has died. Both lines seem to fall around some sort of "faked her death to protect and hide her from _____" (slayer, Alan Spaulding, or whomever you want to fill in the blank with on this).

I know the writers think this is great, that they can keep us on our toes by saying that "anyone can go at any moment". However...

What this really says: That the coming-back-from-the-dead thing has been so overdone, that we highly expect it. And expect it so much, that the death scenes and following mourning has little affect on the average fan.

You, too, could write a soap!

This weekend, I was veggin' on the couch with a buddy catching up on a week's worth of YR stored on my DVR. They were at the scenes where Lauren finally sees Sheila (newly transformed via plastic surgery to be Phyllis's doppelganger). Paul and Michael are there and they are fretting like two little girls over what to do with the ill Sheila. They turn to Lauren for advice.

Right before she says it, I reply "Let the bitch die." My buddy was awed that I predicted the line, something I had done a couple of times. He thought maybe I could write a soap. My reply was that "oh no, this is just a sign that I watch a lot of soaps."

AMC: Dixie Dies!

This is a spoiler. I hate spoilers. But, this particular one was hard to avoid if anyone does any soap-related surfing on the internet. I guess this explains why Cady hasn't posted on her witty and insightful blog since the beginning of the new year.

And, there is some controversy over this one. First, AMC does this big production of bringing back Cady McClain as Dixie. Then, just a bit over a year later they are killing off the character as an inadvertant victim of the serial killer. And, they are killing her in a way that doesn't seem possible to bring her back from the dead (more on that issue later--cuz I have some major thoughts on that).

I heard a rumor that she is headed to Guiding Light. I wonder what character she could play over there. Someone new? A recast? I'm really trying not to read the spoilers.

However, I would love, love, love (really, I would love it) if she came back as Rosanna Cabot on ATWT. Now that Craig is back (though not our beloved--and Cady's personal beloved--Hunt Block), it would be perfect timing. Maybe she could come back with Carly after Maura West's maternity leave. Maybe she could come back before then and, once again, play a motherly role to Carly's kids.

I will be thrilled if she is on either show and the CBS fans will welcome her with wide open arms.

ATWT: Registered vs Bearer Bonds

I know. I am being picky.

However, ATWT has driven me nuts this week with their storyline about Casey stealing Will's registered bonds. When Barbara handed these securities over to Will, she cautioned him to be careful because they were "registered bonds" and can be redeemed by anyone. This wasn't just a one day error, but repeated throughout the week.

Putting on my stock broker's hat:

Registered bonds are just that--registed to the name of the bond holder. They can only be redeemed either by the registered holder or, if endorsed, to whomever they are endorsed.

Bearer bonds are more likely what Babs and the rest of the ATWT characters meant. These are not registered to any individual and are payable to the bearer or the person who is in possession of the bonds.

Again, just being picky but it is driving me nuts.

BB: We love you Sally Spectra

Although I have known about this for more than a week, I just haven't been able to bring myself to post about the death of Darlene Conley (I'm actually getting a bit teary typing this now). This woman was the personification of the word gregarious. I loved her and loved her playing Sally's antics. I will always remember her outrageious scenes with Phyllis Diller. And who can forget Darlene as Rose Deville on The Young and the Restless.
CBS will air a special tribute to Darlene Conley at the end of this Friday's (1/26) episode of Bold and the Beautiful.

YR/BB: Lauren Crossover Observation

On Y&R, Lauren is so down with agoraphobia-ladened post partum depression that she can barely leave her apartment, let alone the town of Genoa City. Yet, on Friday she crossed over to Bold and the Beautiful (set in Los Angeles) for the launch of Forrester Originals. Hmmm....

ATWT: From Go Henry to Oh Henry!

Last Monday, I was rooting on Henry for finally giving Katie what she deserved. Well, it isn't even a week later (in real time—same day on the show, I think) and here is Henry forgiving Katie's transgressions. How can we so quickly go from Go Henry (Go Henry, It's your birthday) to Oh Henry (said with much disdain)?
I understand the point of Henry wanting his best friend back in his life, but what kind of friend is she and what will Henry think the next time she squashes him like a bug to get what she wants?

On a side note, that peach/orange shirt and tie that they have had Trent Dawson in looks really good on him and brings out some coloring for him. But even with that, I am a bit tired of seeing it (though it does make me realize it is the same day).

BB: Forrester Creations vs Forrester Originals

I guess since Spectra Fashions has bitten the dust, they need this storyline to infuse some business competition into the story. However, I really don't understand what the Forrester family is so worried about with Nick owning Forrester Creations. A design company is only as good as its creative staff. If the entire creative staff is at the new company, what does Nick really have?
Though, this is building into a good YR-like corporate plot. I love how Nick vows to buy all the fashion boutiques that would carry the new company's clothing lines. Um…vertical monopolies were made illegal over 100 years ago. I know Nick is just a sailor masquerading as a business man, but this is taught in 5th grade social studies!

AMC: Serial Killer

I guess in the world of soaps that the single murder mystery has gotten so blasé that we have moved along to the serial killer. This has been done on several shows in the last few years, with All My Children being the latest.
The one thing that most shows don't understand is that they are, for the most part, killing off people we don't care about or don't like. I know you can't kill off a bunch of key characters (unless your Days) without a fan revolt, but the storyline is uninteresting when we don't care who is doing the killing or who has been killed.

YR: Lujack!

I know, wrong show.
I love that Vincent Irizarry is now appearing on YR. I hope that this isn't a short-term stint since he is being brought in to the Carmen Mesta murder storyline. However, if it is short-lived maybe we can have him back on GL as Nick/Lujack.

On a related note, since it was first brought up about Carmen's affair at her previous employer (and it was obvious that she was about to become the victim in a murder mystery), I thought that the murderer could have been either that previous lover (being played by Vincent I) or the scorned wife. Maybe I was on to something…

GL: Moving Right Along

In a recent discussion with my sister, we both wondered how Jon and Tammy were to marry (as shown in promos that aired) when Jon had just left Lizzie and was still married to her. I guess that's the one good thing about Wednesdays on Guiding Light where they move story along so fast! This can only be beneficial. When some shows (e.g. ATWT has been on New Years Day for about 3 weeks) can spread out one day across a whole calendar month, these Wednesday episodes are refreshing.

BB: Nick and Taylor

I am not sure if I could care less about this storyline. The one good thing that would come out of pairing these two would be that, for the first time on BB, I might actually fast-forward through part of the story. Wow! What will I do with that free time?

BB: Oh my Gosh! Oh my Gosh! Oh my Gosh!

I almost fell out of my chair when toddler Hope revealed to toddler Alexandria that Taylor was the one who killed Alexandria's mother, Darla. I was hoping for this story to drag out until Alexandria was SORAS'd to a teen--something that could add to the teen girl/mother angst.
But alas, soaps move so fast now and there usually isn't much of a wait for "the big reveal."

Anyway, it was great and I can't wait to see the ramifications of this truth on the Forrester family.

ATWT: Don't Drink the Water

Interesting developments with the contaminated well water at the Snyder farm. Though I could do without the ESPaul storyline (didn't we just have ESParker a few years back?), this little twist could get interesting.

Although Paul stopped Meg from drinking the water, Emily had a big glass to calm her nerves right before hand. And, of course, Emily has done Craig wrong. So, I see Emily having some type of poisioning episode that gets blamed on Craig.

On a side note, Paul's mother wanting him to use his ESPowers to find baby Johnny was just a priceless example of how bad a mother Babs truly can be.

ATWT: Go Henry, Go Henry, Go Henry!

Well, a Goddess can get excited can't she? During 1/2 time of the BCS game (Go Gators, You're the Champions), I switched over to watch the ATWT I had recorded that day. Boy, am I glad someone came into the library and wanted to watch SpongeBob at 1 PM (when ATWT airs) so I got to see this at home!

Henry finally gave Katie what for and how much! On Thursday and Friday's episodes, Katie had been unsufferable, cruel and heartless with Henry. He seemed to finally reach his breaking point.

I had to rewind and watch the scene about 5 times and almost missed getting back to the start of the second half of the game.

BB: The big Name Short Run Revolving Door

BB fans have been treated to some really great actors filling limited run roles on BB lately. Recently, we had the great Betty White as Stephanie's mother. While this actress is usually good to make me laugh (Sue Ann Nivens, anyone?), she really did well in this dramatic role.

In the past few weeks, we have been treated to Hal Linden as a person from Nick and Jacqueline's past. My mom was such a big Barney Miller fan and I mentioned at monthly Saturday breakfast that Linden had taken a part on the show. My sister had informed her of the Betty White deal a few weeks ago. Maybe we may get her to start watching at least one soap.

It's too bad the Daytime Emmys do not have a "guest star" award similar to the one they give away in the Primetime Emmys.

ATWT: Katie You Bitch!

Oh, how I wanted to jump through the screen yesterday and throttle Katie. She has always been such a manipulator. However, when she tried to use Henry's unrequited love for Katie as leverage for him to be her partner in crime, I truly wanted to bitch-slap the gal.

Speaking of Henry, in this week he has almost showed us a new side of himself. I think we are starting to see him struggle to be good (or at least legal) and his "friends" seem to be breaking his resolve.

On a lighter note, Terri Columbino (the actress who portrays Katie) has been looking glowing lately. Might there be another Columbino Bambino on the way? Oh well, just a guess but she has been looking great.

BB: This explains a lot about Stephanie

The current storyline for Stephanie is really great. I think it explains a lot about why she resorts to violence when she gets angry--and boy does she get angry often. How many times have we seen Stephanie slap, punch, pull a gun on a multitude of characters? Just a while back, she kneed her husband in the groin!

That aside, there are writing this story very well. I like how Stephanie excuses it as "that's just how parents acted in those times." It should make for great discussion if they could extrapolate the storyline to some of the younger kids on the show (Thorne's daughter, Brooke's kids) in how they address discipline. What great debate you could have between the "spare the rod, spoil the child" crowd and the "never, ever hit a child crowd."

Bonus: Susan Flannery got some great stuff just in time for the Emmy deadlines at the end of this month!

ATWT: What is this recast?

Explain to me again: Is Jeffrey Meek the recast of Craig Montgomery or James Stenbeck?

BB: Brooke's Choice

The writer's will managed to drag this out for a few days. I assume she is going to choose Nick. Otherwise, what was the point of her conversation with him over dinner. If it was over, she wouldn't be giving him pointers on how to improve their relationship, right?

However, I really, really, really, really am hoping for a Ridge and Brooke reunion. Then again, maybe Brooke will surprise us all and say "I choose me" and state that she doesn't want to be with either of them, or anyone else, for the time being.

Then again, Jackie's accident (Is she dead?) will surely throw a wrench into whatever decision Brooke makes.

Blog Note: See Posts by Show

I upgraded to the Beta version of Blogger. One thing I am taking advantage of is the easy way to apply labels to the posts. Thus, in the posts you should see a show's acronomy (e.g. YR for the Young and the Restless). This acronym is also a hyperlink that will take you to a view of the blog with posts for that show.

I am in the process of updating all of the old posts (wow, 150!). But, the first 50 are completed. I hope you like this!

YR: Carmen Messedup

Well, I guess her name is really Carmen Mesta. But, she hs been getting on my nerves for a bit now. Who is she, as a contractor, to demand that Victoria fire Drucilla? Isn't Newman Ent her client? And, as a customer, always right?

Why doesn't she just call it a day and go home?
Well---maybe she will be calling it a day.

I always think that when one character has people coming at her from all sides and there are veiled threats, they are soon to be victim of a mystery.

Then, to add in when she inadvertantly received Jack's text message regarding Jabot--that just adds another possible suspect!

I won't be sad. Matter of fact, I think they should hold a parade for the perpitrator.

ATWT: At least 30 days until a Jack and Carly reunion

Well, Simon has managed to cover his butt (albeit a nice butt) for a bit in regards to his link to the loan shark. However, we can all forsee their will be trouble after his 30-day deadline has come and gone without repayment of the loan.

I can only assume it won't be until then (or--egads!--even later) that we will see a Carly and Jack reunion.

In the meantime, I am enjoying Carly's hesistancy at going forward with Simon. Her scene where she practices what she will say to surprise him when he returns to his hotel suite was cute.

BB: Thorne and Taylor

This storyline is so unbelievable. Who would get engaged, to their sister-in-law no less, a few months after their much-beloved wife dies in a tragic car accident? Add to this, the Taylor hysteric scenes and the storyline is unwatchable.

Am I really supposed to not fast-forward through Hunter Tylo's sceneray chewing on a daily basis? I am really not one to attack the actors, but the only thing worse than her acting is her ill-advised plastic surgery. (Which makes the characters just more buffoonish!) She was such a beautiful woman, you wonder why she felt the need for such surgery. And you wonder if she regrets it as much as we regret having to see it.

ATWT: Okay, I take it back!

Early last week, we had below freezing temps here in St. Louis--south of the fictional Oakdale, Illinois.
Then, at the end of the week, Buffalo received 24 inches of snow.

So, maybe the Ice Storm story wasn't completely far fetched.

ATWT: Stormy Weather

Really? An ice storm in September?

My initial thoughts on this:

1) they are going the GH-Emmy route by using a "disaster" to have material to submit
2) they had a good story, but couldn't sit on it until it was actually somewhat plausible (like November sweeps)

I would buy this "ice storm in September" story, if they once commented on WHY there was an ice storm in the first days of Autumn. I would buy a story ala "The Day After Tomorrow" where ecological systems run amok. But, so far, no explanation. Which is just soooooo irritating.

Perhaps one good thing will come out of this and Jade will blow away in the storm.

BB: Am I the only one hating Thorne and Taylor

I am now starting to believe the only reason they killed of the quirky Darla is just to get these two together. I used to love Thorne "my wife isn't quite cold in the ground but I am hot for Taylor" Forrester. One of my favorite times on BB was when he and Brooke got together.

However, I am not getting this paring at all. Sure, there will be drama once Thorne find out his beloved Taylor killed Darla. But, Taylor and Hector made a more likely pairing and more compatible couple (two fallen "angels"). Now, Hector is just this caricature of his former self--always angry and always manipulative. Where is the sweet firefighter?

The other bad thing about no more Darla, is that we are not likely to see much of Sally or Clark. Both, characters from the early, early days. I guess now that there is no more Spectra House of Ripoffs, we have no more use for these characters.

All Shows: Rabbits are dying everywhere!

What a surprise that ATWT's Jade and BB's Bridget are pregnant! It amazes me that they write storylines like Katie trying to get pregnant and everyone else gets pregnant after one night of sex with someone that they shouldn't be having sex!

But, the fact that it is on almost every soap, shows how overused this plot device has become. Let's see we have Lizzie on GL. I will excuse Y&R and Phyllis since her and Nick were together more than once. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if Carmen ends up preggers after her night (day--really) with Jack.

Who others are offending us with this re-tread story?

ATWT: Carly and Simon

First, let me state (or remind you) that I love Carly and Jack. They are my all-time favorite soap couple, let alone my couple to watch on ATWT. This week their divorce was final.

However, they have moved toward pairing Carly and Simon together. The last we saw on Friday, the two were headed toward the bedroom.

When CBS began to hint about this in their promos (a month or two ago), I admit I was intrigued. Carly and Simon have the potential to be as bad (that's the good kind of bad) together that Carly and Craig had. This could make for an interesting pairing.

ATWT: Luke's Wardrobe

I've been wondering this for months. Does Luke share a wardrobe with Steve from Blue's Clues?

Back among the living

I can't believe I haven't posted for over two months! I posted more during my summer class than I did afterwards.
The Goddess got a bit distracted by swimming pools, golf, and some very interesting municipal government happening in my little burg. And, related to my city government chaos, I was setting up two related websites and blogs to that situation. Oy!

Now, on with the really important stuff....my soaps!

BB: Nice Day for a Black Wedding

I would feel a little more sympathy for Felicia's plight if she didn't look absolutely ridiculous.

So Many Soaps, So Little Time

I am so behind on my soaps. The Goddess is enrolled in a Chemistry cram course (regular 16-week class in 5 weeks). This means more time studying, less time watching the stories.

I am caught up on B&B. It is good right now, plus it is only 1/2 hour.
I am only a day behind on As the World Turns. The Carly storyline is great right now, so if I could only have stayed awake another hour last night I would be caught up.

I am two weeks behind on GL. It's not like it doesn't interest me, I just am more interested in the others.
I am a week behind on YR. Same story on more interest in others and little time.

This weekend, I shall have a soap watching marathon. With the help of SoapNet, I will be caught up on everything by Monday. That is my solemn vow.

BB: Brooke as majority shareholder of Forrester (again)

What is in the pipe that Nick is smoking?! Why would Brooke want to fire Eric and/or Ridge. Even Thorne for that matter.

This is no time to start from scratch, let alone take the Forrester out of Forrester Creations. And, as we have seen, your company is only as good as your latest designs--or designer.

Who's the Daddy Month!

Well, a month or so ago we had "Teen Marriage Month". Now, we are on "Who is the Daddy Month" which will lead to a battery of DNA tests (Daddy Not Aware).
We will abbreviate this soap phenom as WTD (who's the daddy).

Y&R: The big, decade long Neil/Dru/Malcolm WTD comes to a climax as Neil finds out that Lily is not his biological daughter. On the same episode, Phyllis finds out she is pregnant, leaving us with a Nick/Phyllis/Jack WTD.

B&B: Well, if Brooke is going to sleep with two men in less than 48 hours a Ridge/Brooke/Nick WTD is sure to follow.

GL: Lizzie's WTD has been discussed in prior posts. Soon to follow, the Gus/Harley/Mallet WTD (see B&B post above).

ATWT: I think folks would like to make Emily's a WTD pregnancy. Some will speculate that Em slept with Henry or molested Dusty. On soaps a woman will miscarry if she falls out of a chair. Yet, Emily jumps off a cliff, is not breathing/no pulse, yet fetus survives. Which only proves it has to be Paul's baby: only a STENBECK could survive the jump from the cliff!!!

AMC: Fans are speculating that given Dr. Greg's history, the true paternity of Kendall's baby could be up in the air.

OLTL: There is the Antonio/Jess-Tess/Nash WTD, though not a new development.

BB: SORECEOS--Nick as CEO of Maronne

Yes, you too, can be a CEO! First Harley on Guiding Light and now Nick?
Nick as CEO?! Please...
The only thing Nick can run is a boat aground.
I guess maybe he can get pointers from Brooke on how to run a company.

He has only been in the company offices for a few years. But, alas, maybe we are seeing a new soap phenomenon. It is similar to SORAS, except it is SORECEOS--Soap Opera Rapid Experience to CEO Syndrome!

ATWT: Luke comes out to Will

There have been many complaints that there are two teen storylines but they never intersect. Well, we got instant intersection yesterday with Luke and Will's conversation. Even though the writers reminded us how they used to hang out when they were younger, we haven't seen them interacting until yesterday.

And of course, that is the day/time Luke comes out of the closet.

That said, Will gave Luke very good advice. I hoep he has a heart-to-heart with Holden and Lily and kicks Jade to the curb.

BB: Stephanie has lost her mind

Whoa! Stephanie is out of her ever lovin' mind if she thinks she is being reasonable when asking Dante to sign over his child. There are so many holes in what she is saying.

Stephanie called Dante's actions untenable. Yet, her asking him to sign over his parental rights defies reason and logic.

Stephanie said that Dante should think about what is in the best interest of the child. Yet, how is not having a father not in his best interest.

Stephanie said it takes more than one night to make a father. Yet, from the time Dante has found out he was Dino's dad he has stepped up. And the "more than one night" thing could apply to Felecia, too.

Bridget was right. Stephanie needs to interfere in her children's lives and Felecia is handy and, for the moment, needy.

GL rocks the Emmys

Wow! Guiding Light really took over in the acting categories. They were represented as follows:

Female Lead: Kim Zimmer as Reva
Female Supporting: Gina Tognoni as Dinah
Male Supporting: Jordan Clarke
Male Younger Lead: Tom Pelphrey

CBS took 5 out of the 6 acting categories when Jennifer Landon won Younger Female Lead for her role of Gwen on ATWT.

Emmy Comment: Who picked the order

Well, I didn't completely hate that the Daytime Emmys were not in New York this year. I could have done without all of the fan stuff outside the ceremony. It was just fluff to fill the extended show (from 2 hours to 3 hours), which could have been better used to present additional award during the telecast.

Speaking of presenting awards, who picked this order. Did ABC know who the winners were and thus stacked to end the evening on a GH high? Leading Female is one of the biggest awards of the night (more so than Male lead) and was bumped up to the first half of the program.

Daytime Emmys: All the Experts

Now that I have finally finished posting my picks for tonight, I thought I would venture out and see what other experts are picking. We seem very agreed in some categories and not in others.

Here is a link to all the experts picks.

http://www.thesoapgoddess.com/Expertpicks.xls

2005 Daytime Emmys: Outstanding Series

The most exciting category of the night. Here are the nominees and the episodes they picked:

As the World Turns – Episode#1 Les terrorizes Lily and Carly and is revealed to be Julia's killer. Episode#2 Gwen and Jennifer go into labor at same time (beginning of baby switch).

General Hospital – Episode #1 Train crash Episode #2 More post-train crash drama, a few episodes after the first.

Guiding Light – Episode #1 Reveal of Alan as Philip's "killer". Episode#2 Sandy and Tammy's wedding.

Young and the Restless – Episode #1 Cassie dies. Episode #2 Lauren and Michael's wedding reception and the beginning of the Phyllis/Nick affair.


As the World Turns has a nice package in the first episode. There is no cliff-hanger and stands alone nicely. The beginning of the baby switch (as opposed to the conclusion) is quite a choice—but you see the beginning of the storm that is about to unfold and how it ties to many storylines.
General Hospital's episodes are heavy on special effects, which make for a win in directing but a crutch in series and maybe the reason why they are overlooked for writing. The good is that they use EVERYBODY in these episodes, which showcases some of the great acting talent that they have.
Guiding Light has a better second episode than first. This can work in their favor as it leaves the voter with a good "taste in their mouth."
Young and the Restless: pass the Kleenex, please.



Who will win: Young and the Restless
Who should win: Guiding Light


Guiding Light should win just on that beginning when the minister asks "does anyone object". The use of flashbacks from various characters' point-of-view is great. When this episode originally aired everyone was on the edge of their seat to see what would happen. And to eliminate the "Ew" factor, I don't believe it is mentioned that Tammy and Jon are cousins in that episode.
However, Young and the Restless has a killer first episode. The second episode is great in that it begins the Nick/Phyllis affair—however if voters are not full-time viewers and don't realize that impact….


Who could win: General Hospital could pull it off if there are a lot of male viewers who love the special effects that cloud over the actual story. If they do win, and after winning last year for the hotel fire, GH viewers should expect some major catastrophe each year, which will lessen their impact for viewers but be great Emmy bait.

2005 Daytime Emmys: Directing

Another category where I came in thinking Y&R was the definitive winner. They always have great camera angles, put together great shots for some of the great editing they do later. But, who knows….

Here are the nominees and the episodes they picked:

Bold and the Beautiful – Episode#1 Christmas episode where Felicia's baby is christened. Episode#2 Nick confronts Bridget on a bluff about her supposed abortion; Stephanie dares Brooke to shoot herself.

Days of Our Lives – Episode #1 Belle goes into labor, aftermath of Sammie and Lucas' interrupted wedding. Episode #2 Frankie returns, Mimi in Jail, Belle torn between Shawn and Philip.

General Hospital – Episode #1 Train crash Episode #2 More post-train crash drama

Young and the Restless – Episode #1 Cassie dies. Episode #2 Lauren and Michael's wedding.


Bold and Beautiful picked a location shoot—extra points for degree of difficulty.
General Hospital's episodes are heavy on special effects which make them more difficult to direct. Possible bonus points.



Who will win: General Hospital
Who should win: General Hospital

GH will probably win for special effects alone, something that should cause them to lose in the drama series category.

Who could win: Young and the Restless is consistently good, but the judging is just on the two episodes presented.

2005 Daytime Emmys: Writing

What makes good drama—good writing. It's the "if it's not on the page, it ain't on the stage" mantra. Oddly enough, two shows that are in contention for Outstanding Drama are NOT in the running for outstanding writing.

I came into this category thinking Y&R was the definitive winner. They always write stories that reach out across storylines. It is one of the things that make them a ratings leader. But, will it make them an Emmy winner? Again, they are judged on two episodes alone so it can be anyone's game.

Here are the nominees and the episodes they picked:

As the World Turns – Episode#1 Jennifer and Gwen go into labor at the same time; Episode#2 Dusty realizes Meg's role in the Jennifer/Gwen baby switch.

Bold and the Beautiful – Episode#1 Stephanie and Brooke gun episode; Episode #2 Christmas episode where Felicia's baby is christened.

One Life to Live – Episode#1 Rex finds Jennifer's body, Vikki tricks David and Dorian into getting together. Episode#2 Lindsey deals with Jen's death, Dorian and David start an anonymous online relationship.

Young and the Restless – Episode #1 Daniel is arrested as Cassie is barely hanging on to her life. Episode #2 Consecutive episode where Cassie dies.


One Life to Live should have picked the Daniel as killer and gay reveal. It was really strong and was the culmination of great story. The first episode was good, but the second was all over the place.
As the World Turns could have picked the baby switch culmination also, instead of the pseudo-culmination of the Meg/Dusty reveal. The former had strong acting which can only help their strong writing.
Bold and Beautiful should not have picked the Christmas episode. Those are always so contrived—although if you are looking for sappy, this is your episode.



Who will win: Young and the Restless
Who should win: Young and the Restless

I cry every time I watch the Cassie dies episode (and I had to watch four times for Emmy picks plus the original airing). Y&R picks two consecutive episodes that make it easy to follow the storyline. The second episode is stronger than the first, which is something the other shows did not accomplish. Like the other shows, Y&R start big. Unlike the others, they end strong.

Who could win: As the World Turns is a perennially favorite in this category. And, in the back of my heart, I would not mind if home-girl Jean Passanante brings home a win.

2005 Daytime Emmys: Younger Male Lead

Will the voters give Tom Pelphrey the Emmy he deserved to win last year? They have been known to try to make up for prior mistakes. Another strong contender is Jesse Soffer; his only negative is that one episode is almost entirely with Jennifer Landon who is so great she outshines him. Scott Clifton gives good blend of humor and drama but nothing overwhelming. He scores big on versatility, but low on strength of any one moment. Michael Graziadei's reel is too short for any type of lead consideration, even if it is younger lead.

Scott Clifton (Dillion, GH) - Dillion fights with Georgie and deals with Lucas admitting he's gay; Dillion blames himself for Michael's death.

Michael Graziadei (Daniel, Y&R) - Daniel reflects on Cassie's hospitalization and his role in it; Phyllis visits Daniel in jail and gives him new hope.

Bryton McClure (Devon, Y&R) - Devon worries about his dying mom; Devon catches his mom buying drugs in the park.

Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan, GL) - Jonathan lashes out at Reva, cuts his hair with a knife and realizing Dinah faking her pregnancy; Jonathan goes to see Tammy the night before her wedding to Sandy and pushes her to admit her true feelings for him.

Jesse Soffer (Will, ATWT) - Will blasts Gwen for having taken money from Paul; a jailed Will denies having poisoned Iris.

Who will win: Tom Pelphrey
Who should win: Tom Pelphrey

Tom Pelphrey can play Jonathan very strong sometimes and makes you wonder if it is overacting or just his take on Jonathan. It should not overshadow all the other great stuff on his reel. My only question on this is: will they play the theme song from Guiding Light he wins or will it be the overplayed Unbelievable when they call his name?

Who could win: Scott Clifton and Jesse Soffer also have good tapes.

Daytime Emmys: Supporting Male

Oh they love the dual roles, so Tyler Christopher does have a chance. However, I am not sure he picked the best episodes he could and could confuse voters. Trent Dawson proves he is more than a clown this year and picks two episodes that show range. Jordan Clarke has always been awesome, but really broke our hearts when he fell off the wagon. But, never rule out Greg Rikaart to repeat.

Tyler Christopher (Nikolas/Connor, GH) - Connor rapes Emily; Nikolas reels as Emily says she no longer loves him.

Jordan Clarke (Billy, GL) - Billy falls off the wagon; Billy fights the urge to crack open a bottle of whiskey.

Trent Dawson (Henry, ATWT) - Henry tries to convince wife Katie to leave him for Mike; Henry faces off with Olga with BJ.

Grayson McCouch (Dusty, ATWT) - Dusty tries to gently reject Jen's advances; Dusty blasts Meg for keeping silent about the baby.

Greg Rikaart (Kevin, Y&R) - Kevin deals with the death of his abusive dad; in therapy, Kevin addresses his feelings for Mac and anger towards J.T.

Who will win: Trent Dawson
Who should win: Jordan Clarke

Trent shows diversity and the voters seem to like that, especially in supporting roles. His comedy shows vulnerability, his dramatic moments show humor. However, I believe Jordan Clarke should win because you can just feel his pain, his embarrassment—he takes you on the ride.

Who could win: Greg Rikaart could repeat.

2005 Daytime Emmys: Male Lead

Ahh! The Lead Male Actor. Somewhat of an anomaly in the female-dominated world of soaps. Which leads to the question: can you have a "lead" male or all they all really supporting? The exception to that question is always General Hospital where almost all of the storylines are driven from male characters (ya know, mobsters, rapists). And that soap brings us the two strongest contenders.

Maurice Bernard (Sonny, GH) - Worried about Michael and Carly, Sonny confesses to A.J.'s murder; Sonny convinces Carly to get professional help.

Anthony Geary (Luke, GH) - Luke sings to a comatose Lucky; Luke begs Lucky to come out of his coma before taking him off of life support.

Robert Newman (Josh, GL) - News of Reva's supposed pregnancy leaves Josh reeling; after angrily urging Jonathan to be a better person, Josh warns Reva that he might not always be there for her.

Ron Raines (Alan, GL) - After paying a visit to a very much alive Philip, Alan is arrested for his murder; Alan confesses to Philip's shooting.

Thorsten Kaye (Zach, AMC) - Maria and Zach say farewell; Zach stuns Kendall and himself by admitting that's he falling in love.



Who will win: Anthony Geary
Who should win: Anthony Geary

Two outstanding episodes from Mr. Geary will garner him another win. Like his female version in the lead category (Susan Flannery), Anthony Geary is the standard bearer of consistently good performances (even if I hate his character).

Who could win: Never rule out Maurice Bernard, but his tapes were not as good as Geary's.

Daytime Emmys

Argh! The Goddess has been busy with some school work. I promise to have my final daytime emmy picks up this morning.

ATWT: Oakdale Confidential is bestseller

According to the writer of Oakdale Confidential, the book will be ranked at #3 on next week's New York Times bestseller list. (BTW, the NYT list always seems to be weeks behind actual sales.) The book debuted on the USA Today bestseller list at #15 this week. It has consistently be ranked on Amazon's top sellers list.

Way to go ATWT!

Now, let's all guess on whose bones (them bones, them bones, them dry bones) are in the basement. Anyone? Anyone?

GL: LIzzie's pregnant

Since soaps can be known for slow-moving storylines, I am amazed at how fast this one is moving along. First, that Lizzie is pregnant and she is realizing it.

I can't remember when she slept with Coop, but in the Lizzie Inside the Light on Wednesday she stated she slept with Jon on 4/10. There is NO WAY you would realize you are pregnant, have symptoms, and consistently test positive 9 days after conception. Pregnancy tests are making leaps and bounds but still the best only work a day or two after a missed period. If she was ovulating on 4/10 she wouldn't have even had a missed period yet. However, this should be good news that Coop, and not Jon, is the father.

Also moving along, in such a Lizzie fashion, is the purchase of baby furniture. She is like 2 minutes along in the pregnancy and she is buying baby stuff. Whew. I know if I was 19-20 and found out I was pregnant, I would still be in denial, not be in Babies R Us.

GL: Ewww, gross Ava!

Why was Ava allowed to work in a restaurant without having her shoes on. I believe they aren't allowed to serve people without shoes (No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service), so why was this allowed to happen. It was distasteful and I can't believe they kept mentioning it.

And, in the end, when Lizzie stole her shoes they were high heel boots. What kind of waitress wears high heels to wait tables. Well, besides a strip club waitress. Company is more "burger joint."

ATWT: Step Away from the Carly

What is up with Nick?! He really needs to stop sniffing around Carly. She has only brought him trouble and will now only bring him heartache when he finds out how she and Jack will never really be apart.

GL: Ross' plane crash

Well, a few weeks back on an Inside the Light we find out that Ross (who's portrayer Jerry Ver Dorn has been over at OLTL for months!) has died in a plane crash. This week, it is being investigated as a possible murder by the FAA--and subsequently the Springfield PD.

Back a fefw weeks, Alan-Michael and Alan discuss A-M's secretive dealings with Ross. Well, perhaps "discuss" is too comprehensive--it was more like mention. So, somehow Spaulding and A-M will be tied to this investigation.

However, something Alan says at the funeral makes me wonder if Ross is actually dead. Alan stated something along the lines of "Ross being up their with his son, and Ross's nephew, Philip". Uh...does Alan know something we don't? After all, we and Alan both know that Philip is really alive--something the rest of Springfield is not privvy.

Just looking for hidden meaning.

YR: DA Will Bardwell

I truly believe that Judith Champman is doing a marvelous job in the role However...

I only slightly wish that Gloria Abbott was still being played by Joan Van Ark. Then, I would love them to write in a scene where Gloria is questioned by Ted Shackelford's Will Bardwell character. The first question could be: "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

YR: Phyllis is kicked out by Victor

Of course, I am not sure what will happen today (Mon 4/17), but Friday's episode ended with Victor asking Phyllis "Where should we send your stuff" or something along those lines.

Wha?! Who is Victor to fire Phyllis from NVP. He is striclty the finanancing on this project and wasn't to have anything to say on the running of NVP. In addition, aren't Phyllis and Nikki equal partners--so no one is really the "boss".

And, shouldn't Nikki stand up for her partner. It would set a bad precedent. How is Nikki supposed to really accomplish anything in the work world when it appears that she is just a puppet and Victor pulls the strings. Noone would want to deal with her--they will want to deal only with Victor.

This says nothing that Phyllis is the creative part of NVP. She has more ideas in her pinky than Victor and Nikki have combined.

BB: Massimo's Meddling

Well, I must say I find this turn of events very interesting. We have seen Massimo act controlling in the past, but he has been kind of laid back since his stroke. Now, we see him meddle in the Ridge/Brooke/Nick triangle in an attempt to seperate Brooke and Nick. He has gone as far as to have Jackie (Nick's mother) arrested on various tax charges.

It is so very "Stephanie" of him. Hmm...I wonder what Queen Stephanie will think when she finds out he has been pushing Brooke and Ridge together (something she has always dreaded).

2005 Daytime Emmys: Female Younger Lead

Female Younger Lead

Another tough, tough category in my mind before viewing the episodes each of these delights picked for us.


Emmy Reels:
Mandy Bruno (Marina, GL) - With Michelle preparing to leave town, Marina worries she's going to lose Danny; realizing Danny loves his ex-wife, Marina breaks things off.

Camryn Grimes (Cassie, Y&R) - At the hospital, Cassie talks to the police and prepares to have surgery; with her family gathered, Cassie dies.

Christel Khalil (Lily, Y&R) - Lily confronts Malcolm and Dru about her paternity; Lily says farewell to her friends, family, and Daniel.

Jennifer Landon (Gwen, ATWT) - In consecutive episodes, Gwen learns that her baby is dead and later pays a visit to the child she'd been raising as her own.

Leven Rambin (Lily, AMC) - Zach and Lily talk about life and parenting; Sam's visit with Lily is interrupted by Aidan.


Who should win: Jennifer Landon
Who will win: Camryn Grimes

I think the voters might like to give this one to Camryn as a nice goodbye present. Then again, maybe the voters might like to show respect to Michael Landon via a vote for his daughter. Both had spectacular tapes and Camryn's was especially heart-wrenching. This might be what puts her over the top. However, Jennifer Landon's tape shows vulnerability, a maturity beyond her years, and complete devastation.


Who could win: rule out no one!

I really wondered how Mandy Bruno and Christel Khalil were nominated until I saw their episodes. Mandy's shows a nice mix of comedy (in the form of manic-talking Marina) and drama (when she breaks up with Danny). The voters tend to like when actors show a range. However it wasn't anything that just jumped out at you.
Christel Khalil really picked a dynamic episode where she confronts her mom and uncle/dad about paternity test results they left lying around the house. The other episode is sad, but not as great as the first which might hurt her chances.
Leven Rambin is a complete dark horse. She plays the role of Lily quite well. If you have ever spoken to her or seen her in other roles you realize how great a job she is doing. However, that is not necessarily the case with the Emmy voter. And, she may be another victim of bad episode picking. She has some good stuff out there and I wonder why she picked these two particular episodes. If/when she gets a really meaty storyline she will be a definite winner!

GL: Inside the Light

Oh no! Not another Josh and Reva "Inside the Light". Is the plan to have at least one of these each month? Aargh!

ATWT: The Oakdale Library

Just a quick note that as a librarian, I am thrilled to see that the Oakdale Library is hopping! Too bad they don't have more sense than to hire Jade. (Then again, she came with Lily's recommendation--probably something Lily will later regret.)

2005 Daytime Emmys: Female Supporting

I really thought this would be the most difficult category to pick. However, I have seen the tapes and now there is such a clear-cut winner, that I can't imagine my pick is that far off from the actual voters. The reason: it is all in what you pick for your reels. It can make or break you (ask Michelle Stafford) and this year it quickly culled some of the competition.


Emmy Reels:
Tracey Bregman (Lauren, Y&R) - Michael and Lauren play strip word association; Lauren accepts Michael's proposal.

Crystal Chappell (Olivia, GL) - A gun-toting Olivia is taunted by Gus, who wants her to confess to Philip's murder; Olivia copes, as Bill walks out on her.

Jennifer Ferrin (Jennifer, ATWT) - Jen reacts to the death of her baby; Jen tries to keep Dusty from realizing she is on drugs.

Renee Elise Goldsberry (Evangeline, OLTL) - Evangeline ends things with John; Evangeline reflects on her relationship with John, as her portrayer sings.

Gina Tognoni (Dinah, GL) - Dinah tells Edmund that she lost the baby and is comforted by Jonathan; Dinah leaves a drunken message for Mallet, which leads to them making love.


Who should win: Crystal Chappell
Who will win: Crystal Chappell


Oh my gosh, what was Tracy Bergman thinking when she picked the "strip word association" episode? It was cute and all, but hardly showing her talents. Why not pick any of the Sheila drama that ended the year?
Renee Elise Goldsberry didn't show much range in her stuff, which is too bad since I really like her character. And enough with the singing (that goes for all soap stars—are you listening Jack Wagner?!)!

Who could win: Gina Tognoni or Jennifer Ferrin
I thought both of these daytime divas had a chance before I saw their reels and really would make this the toughest race. Jennifer picked some good stuff and could pull it off, however Crystal Chappell's stuff is just so strong. And, I can't help but secretly pull for Gina.

ATWT: Oh Jack!

Oh, why is ATWT playing with my emotions?! Another Jack and Carly split. The longing in each other's eyes, but the refusal by Jack to forgive Carly. I know, I know-Carly does stuff that is just so off the wall, but she has good intentions. BTW, I did like how Hal compared her to Barbara (who is also always claiming "good intentions") and when Carly objects, he states that their rap sheets are practically identical. Hmmm..good point.

However, what I would like to see happen is the point of this post.

I would love to see Jack tie this drugging Nick and the sexual setup to his past experience of being drugged and raped by Julia. ATWT never dealt with the trauma associated with male rape. And macho police-officer Jack isn't going to admit that he is suffering or ask for help. I would like to see this tied together, along with Carly's drugging Gwen, as sort of a PTSD storyline.

2005 Daytime Emmys: Female Lead

When the nominations came out, there was a lot of buzz around Kelly Monaco. I am not sure if this was because of the whole Dancing with the pseudo-Stars or what. I will admit that I don't watch GH. However, I did watch Port Charles and was never impressed with her acting, yet maybe she has matured. That said, I did watch the episodes that were submitted for the reels (Thanks, SoapNet!) and still don't see it. Here are the episodes each female choice for their reel.

Bobbie Eakes (Krystal, AMC) - In consecutive episodes, Krystal tries to talk Babe out of reuniting with JR and later plays sexy mind games with Adam.
Beth Ehlers (Harley, GL) - Harley lashes out at Mallet for "killing" Gus; before being sentenced, Harley pushes Gus away.
Susan Flannery (Stephanie, B&B) - Stephanie suggests Brooke shoot herself; Stephanie confronts Eric with proof that she owns Forrester.
Kelly Monaco (Sam, GH) - Sam gets drunk while playing dominoes with Jason; Sam urges Jason to have brain surgery.
Kim Zimmer (Reva, GL) - Reva reacts to news that her pregnancy is actually menopause; Reva admits to Josh that he's not enough for her.


It only takes two episodes to win. So, you can have crap all year and just pull off two stellar episodes. Of course, it's hard to get your show to make you a pre-nominee if you have crap, but…


Who will win: Susan Flannery
Who should win: Susan Flannery

Susan Flannery is the most consistently great performer on daytime. I personally, don't like her character, so this isn't a "playing favorites" type thing. She picked reels that mixed humor (although it was only us at home ROTFLAO) and some high drama. Of course, I could have done without the knee to the groin. But, that was the writing not the acting. The only Emmy question surrounding Susan Flannery is "will she ever 'pull an Oprah' and take herself out of the running?"

Who could win: Bobbie Eakes or Kim Zimmer. When Reva tells Josh he isn't enough for her it would just break your heart right along with Josh's.

2005 Daytime Emmy Awards

Oh time to pick the Emmy winners. I will include a list of what each actor chose for their emmy reel and then my choices. I will start with Lead Female as it might be the easiest to pick and try to end with Oustanding Show. My goal is to do a few each week and end by the time of the telecast. Let me know what you think and if you agree/disagree with my picks.

GL: Things just aren't right

I am finally caught up on GL (one good thing you can say about basketball pre-emptions) and can't believe what is happening on GL.

First, Harley and Mallet find Beth and Alan. Beth and Alan feed them a line of crap and Harley just buys it. All I could think was "call in CSI" hoping they would find some evidence of Gus at the cabin.

Second, thank God the Sandy-era is over at GL. Of course, he will be able to destroy Tammy and Jon from the grave better than when he was alive. But, that's soaps. If couples didn't have hurdles they would be boring.

Third, has Cassie lost her ever-lovin' mind?! I might have been dreaming but it seems that Cassie has locked her daughter up with a dead body. And she was just extoling how life with her was better than foster care. Actions speak louder than words--matter fact they are screaming out loud!

ATWT: Jade's misguided logic

So, to escape being sent away for her fradulent ways, Jade convinces Luke to make it appear they slept together. Isn't this backward logic?

I can't think of anything that would get someone kicked out FASTER than sleeping with their teenage child in their home.

ATWT: Carly and Jack

All I could think was "here we go again" when Jack confronted Carly on Wednesdays episode. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how it ended.

Carly, as usual, was explaining why she did what she shouldn't have done and why she didn't really think the whole thing through. Jack, naturally and as always, was not happy.

As he left to go into work, Carly told him she loved him. Jack's reply: "I know." And he walked to the door.

But...

Then he stopped and said "I love you too".

Of course, I cried right along with Carly. It all confirmed why I love Carly and Jack!

BB: Felicia as the unDead

Any savvy soap viewer saw this coming from the moment Stephanie said she ran down to San Diego to check out alternate treatments for Felicia. Only Stephanie could be so over-involved in her children's lives that she can't even let them die in peace.

Of course, to Steph's credit, it appear that all Felicia needs is a liver transplant (Steph is the natural donor) and some chemo and she will be good as new. What a miracle!

So, maybe we saw this coming when Stephanie went to San Diego. Or, in knowing that Leslie Kay is too great a talent to kill off within a few months was the better clue to this overdone storyline.

Teen Marriage Week on Daytime

What is up with the stories? We have Gwen and Will both getting married on ATWT. Then, on GL, you have a faux "lets just recite vows" between-you-me-and-the-wall wedding of Jon and Tammy.

I guess that latter was an excuse to have them finally sleep together. Well, come to think of it, maybe it is a way for the writers to justify teen sex: "They are married!"

But, I am not going to pooh-pooh any of this. I think romance is lacking on daytime so I'll take it in any form. And I love both of these couples, however unrealistic it is to think that you have found your life partner at 17.

YR: JT and Victoria "hook up"

Why JT and Victoria sleeping together works better storyline wise than JT falling back into bed with Colleen:

There are many more ripples to the story if JT and Victoria hook up. As in the Brad dynamic. And if/when Brad finds out, does he or doesn't he tell Colleen? And if Brad dumps Victoria once and for all over this, does he seek solace in Sharon. And how does that affect the Nick/Phyllis affair?

This isn't just a triangle (which would only be if you have JT and Colleen hook up) but more like an octagon.

ATWT: Oh Carly!

Oh Carly! Why do you get into such mischief. I just want to yell at the TV and plead with my Carly not to pull some silly stunt that will surely backfire. Well, Lily did say as much.

She just gets into such predicaments and I am on the edge of my seat wondering if/how/when she will get out of hot water.

ATWT: Nick--the Gigolo Detective

I am a little behind on my ATWT viewing and I just finished Tuesday's (3/7) episode. Did Nick think that Katie wouldn't think something was up when he left to do "police business" looking like the American Gigolo?

But, then come to think of it, that seems to be Nick's style--all gigolo.
It's no secret that I really don't like this character--especially since he is messing with my favorite: Carly and Jack.

BB: Go away, Nick!

Oh, why doesn't Nick just leave well enough alone (and leave Brooke alone). It is never going to be acceptable for Brooke and Nick to be together. And, I never bought that "epiphany" on the Shady Marlin between Brooke and Nick.

And, Brooke girl, no matter how much encouragement you may be getting from Bridget or Stephanie now, it will always be thrown in your face in the future. Bridget is suffering from the trauma of a miscarriage. Stephanie has her obvious motives. Run, Brooke, Run. Run right back to Ridge.

YR: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

I almost fell off the couch when Phyllis through Lily's paternity in Dru's face (and Lily overhearing the whole thing). I almost forgot that Phyllis knew about Malcolm. Not that the high-and-mighty Dru doesn't deserve some wrath, but poor Lily.

However, this will make for some good story in the next days and weeks. (And to think that I usually watch Y&R last of all my soaps!)