Wednesday, February 4, 2015

The one with this actual line, his mobster mother-in-law pregnant by his father...

So...you know how people are always saying write what you know? Well, I know soap operas. Which I'm always a little leery of saying, because of all the associations that go along with that. I mean, good grief...I am highly educated, I read tons of what would be considered great literature, I am well informed on all matters of politics, foreign affairs, and...I love pop culture and soap operas. The pop culture isn't so terrible, most people don't judge too harshly that I'm obsessed with the royal baby. But soap operas are a different beast. Whenever clips of soaps are shown, it is always the stupidest, cattiest bit they could find. People still make fun of "Dolly the Clone," despite the fact that Kim Zimmer did an excellent job with a storyline that she got no say in.

Anyway, I am openly admitting, in black and white, that I love my soaps. When I say my I specifically mean Days of Our Lives and General Hospital. My grandma watched them faithfully every day, and thus I watched them every day that I was able to. I love the Hortons and the Bradys, the Webers and the Spencers, like they are living, breathing members of my own family.

So...the pre-nominations of the Daytime Emmys came out today. (That is a list of 10 nominees who will eventually be winnowed to 5ish for the nomination.) And, while I totally wish that I lived near a cool art house movie theater, and could screen all of the Oscar nominees, the sad truth is that is not the case. Zanesville's movie theater rarely shows any movie that is not a popcorn, big budget action thriller. And so, I cannot pretend to know who will win the Oscars other than the tried and true method of if they already won the SAG and DAG awards.

But there are only 4 soaps on the air today. So I can with a bit of confidence feel that I have a good grip on the best performances.

That said, there are a few caveats. First of all, the way that the Daytime Emmys are awarded is that these pre-nominated people submit tapes of their best work. No one seemingly takes into account whether someone is actually on the air all that often, if someone had a really rocking storyline where they get to scream and cry and then disappear back into the background. Also, I personally feel that Bold and the Beautiful exploits this to the nth degree. People who are barely ever on screen on B and B win Emmys nearly every year. So my list will likely not perfectly mirror the eventual nominees-but it is a list from someone who truly watches these shows, day in, day out, and understands the breadth of the work done by these actors. Also, I am choosing 5 actors per category out of fairness.

So, here goes:

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Tracey E. Bregman, Lauren, Y&R
Jessica Collins, Avery, Y&R
Melissa Claire Egan, Chelsea, Y&R
Katherine Kelly Lang, Brooke, B&B
Peggy McCay, Caroline, DAYS
Alison Sweeney, Sami, DAYS
Gina Togoni, Phylis, Y&R
Heather Tom, Katie, B&B
Maura West, Ava, GH
Laura Wright, Carly, GH

My picks: Maura West, Laura Wright, Ali Sweeney, Heather Tom, Jessica Collins. Maura West should win for her no holds barred portrayal of the mob princess, Ava Jerome.


Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Peter Bergman, Jack, Y&R
Eric Braeden, Victor, Y&R
Tyler Christopher, Nikolas, GH
Daniel Cosgrave, Aiden, DAYS
Doug Davidson, Paul, Y&R
Anthony Geary, Luke, GH
Justin Hartley, Adam, Y&R
John McCook, Eric, B&B
Billy Miller, Billy, Y&R
Jason Thompson, Patrick, GH

My picks: Anthony Geary, Billy Miller, Peter Bergman, Tyler Christopher, Eric Braeden. This is a close category with noticeable holes (where is Maurice Bernard?), and I can't quite make up my mind between Tony Geary in his brilliant Fluke storyline and Billy Miller, who had the Delia death scenes to submit this year. And I'll admit, I like Justin Hartley a lot and feel that he's underrated, but I don't see him getting nominated with his work thus far on Y&R.


Outstanding Supporting Actress

Linsey Godfrey, Caroline, B&B
Nancy Lee Grahn, Alexis, GH
Amelia Heinle, Victoria, Y&R
Elizabeth Hendrickson, Chloe, B&B
Finola Hughes, Anna, GH
Lisa LoCicero, Olivia, GH
Kim Mantula, Hope, B&B
Micelle Stafford, Nina, GH
Cady McClain, Kelly, Y&R
Chrishell Stause, Jordan, DAYS
Kelly Sullivan, Sage, Y&R

My picks: Michelle Stafford, Elizabeth Hendrickson, Nancy Lee Grahn, Amelia Heinle, Finola Hughes. Michelle's pitch perfect portrayal of whack-a-doodle Nina deserves this win.


Outstanding Supporting Actor

Blake Berris, Nick, DAYS
Darrin Brooks, Wyatt, B&B
Steve Burton, Dylan, Y&R
Sean Carrigan, Stitch, Y&R
Chad Duell, Michael, GH
Bryton James, Devon, Y&R
Eric Martsoff, Brady, DAYS
Kristoff St. John, Neil, Y&R
Jacob Young, Rick, B&B
Scott Clifton, Liam, B&B

My picks: Steve Burton, Scott Clifton, Blake Berris, Jacob Young, Chad Duell. I am punishing Kristoff, who will likely get a nomination, over a stupid storyline. My pick in this category is most likely Jacob, who is having fun chewing scenery over at B&B.


Outstanding Younger Actress

Kristen Alderson, Kiki, GH
Camila Banus, Gabi, DAYS
Lauren Boles, Ciara, DAYS
Ashleigh Brewer, Ivy, B&B
Camryn Grimes, Mariah, Y&R
Hunter King, Summer, Y&R
True O'Brien, Paige, DAYS
Ashlyn Pearce, Aly, B&B
Haley Pullos, Molly, GH

This is a dumb category. Roger Howarth is missing a nomination, but Aly and Ivy from B&B are nominated. It makes me want to scream. Anyway, Kristen Alderson should win for recognition of her years as Starr Manning if nothing else.


Outstanding Younger Actor

Bryan Craig, Morgan, GH
Max Elrich, Fenmore, Y&R
Connor Kalopsis, Chase, DAYS
Casey Moss, JJ, DAYS
Max Page, Reed, Y&R
Terrell Ransom, Jr., Theo, DAYS
Tequan Richmond, TJ, GH
Freddie Smith, Sonny, DAYS

I'm going to go with Bryan Craig in this one, because he had the better storyline of being involved with his mobster ex-mother-in-law who ended up pregnant with his father's baby (indeed), but Freddie will likely win to support the new LGBT storylines.

So, there you go. Skewed to GH, yes, but it is the best show on the air right now. They deserve to be recognized for it.