CRYSTAL BALL
The 39th Annual DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS PREDICTIONS
UNCENSORED saw the pre-nom Emmy reels, and with that Intel, here are my picks of who will more than likely find themselves on the hard ballot this Wednesday. Cross your appendages!
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
AMC
B&B
GH
ONE LIFE
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS
Crystal Chappell, DAYS
Debbi Morgan, AMC
Heather Tom, B&B
Laura Wright, GH
Erika Slezak, ONE LIFE
Jeanne Cooper, Y&R
Dark Horse: Melody Thomas Scott, Y&R
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR
Maurice Benard, GH
Steve Burton, GH
Vincent Irizarry, AMC
Michael Muhney, Y&R
Darnell Williams, AMC
Anthony Geary, GH
Dark Horse: John McCook, B&B
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Melissa Claire Egan, AMC
Genie Francis, Y&R
Nancy Lee Grahn, GH
Rebecca Herbst, GH
Debbi Morgan, Y&R
Gina Tognoni, ONE LIFE
Dark Horses: Ari Zucker, DAYS; Nadia Bjorlin, DAYS
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matthew Ashford, DAYS
Sean Blakemore, GH
Jonathan Jackson, GH
Michael E. Knight, AMC
John Wesley Shipp, ONE LIFE
Billy Miller, Y&R
Dark Horse: Scott Clifton, B&B
OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTRESS
Lexi Ainsworth, GH
Molly Burnett, DAYS
Natalie Hall, AMC
Christel Kahlil, Y&R
Kate Mansi, DAYS
Dark Horse: Haley Pullos, GH
OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTOR
Eddie Alderson, ONE LIFE
Casey Deidrick, DAYS
Chad Duell, GH
Bryton James, Y&R
Chandler Massey, DAYS
Dark Horses: David A. Gregory, ONE LIFE; Nathan Parsons, GH
SOAPILEAKS:
This Week’s Hottest News, Gossip, and Reviews!
ALL MY CHILDREN — Burping With The Parents!
• Congratulations are in order for reigning DANCING WITH THE STARS champ J.R. Martinez and his girlfriend, former AMC administrator Diana Gonzalez-Jones, who became first-time parents on May 2 with the birth of daughter Lauryn Anabelle Martinez. She weighed in at 7 lbs., 13 oz. and is 21 inches long.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, CBS/CTV — Jacob, Queen Of The Hollywood Hills!
• Is Jacob Young a cross-dresser? Well, his AMC dad, Michael E. Knight was in Pine Valley. Of course, Young isn’t, but this week, Rick ends up wearing high heels. During a fashion fitting, Rick shows a model, who is runway-challenged, how to walk the walk during a fashion show. When Caroline spies Rick in heels, she walks in and embarrasses her would-be suitor. Hey, it happens to the best of us.
• You’ve got to hand it to B&B: despite its plot-driven reliance and one A story, the show’s dialogue and excellent breakdown writing makes the show the most watchable soap on the daytime dial.
Its recent Aspen location proved the above statement ten-fold. Who else, other than me, is Team Steffy and Liam now? I’m sick of hearing about Hope’s vajayay, but while I find the heroine’s drug problem timely and realistic — enough already. Kim Matula needs a vacation. Hopefully, she’ll take a How-To-Pick-An-Emmy-Reel during her hiatus.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES, NBC/GLOBAL — Holding Out For A Hero!
• As most have heard already, SOAP OPERA DIGEST reported that Peter Reckell is quietly telling castmates that he plans on leaving DAYS and California! Why? The magazine whispers that Reckell reportedly balked at taking another pay cut during contract negotiations. DIGEST adds the mood is tense over at DAYS. No shit, Sherlock. “Everyone is just waiting to hear who else is going,” confirms an insider.
• Here we go again: Shocking DAYS deaths! And if you believe that, I’ve got some swampland in Llanview to sell you. Those geniuses over at DAYS continue to throw out all the character-driven storylines current head writers Marlene McPherson and Darrel Thomas brought in in favour of plots James E. Reilly made famous.
This week, after surviving the safe house explosion, John, Marlena, Bo, Hope, Rafe and Carrie let everyone in Salem believe they’re dead to prevent Stefano from making another attempt on their lives. Shane and Roman inform Salem of the tragic deaths. But this nugget is interesting: Will later confronts Stefano demanding to know how he could kill everyone he loves, especially after everything he’s done for the villain. “Who am I going to come out to over and over again now that Marlena is dead?” asks Will.
GENERAL HOSPITAL, ABC/CITY — It’s Kristina, Bitches!
• What a sight for sore eyes! Welcome back, Kristina Malandro Wagner! The popular actress tells SOAP OPERA DIGEST that she was shocked to be asked back to GH when Cartini took over the show. Not having acted in forever, Wagner was worried she was rusty. “I was feeling a little bit frightened about it,” she recalls. “I was wondering, ‘How’s that going to be?’ There’s really not rehearsal time, time to think about the scene and work with it creatively.’” If you saw Wagner’s arrival, you know she is a bit rusty but that’s OK.
As my HELLO! CANADA readers know from an interview with Kristina’s ex-husband, Jack Wagner, last year, she’s been studying for her undergraduate degree in history at Cal State University, Northridge. At the time, Jack said, “She’s not acting anymore but she’s happy.”
But Wagner is happy she bought a one-way ticket to Portview: “When I started watching [GH], I could see the transformation it’s had under Frank [Valentini].” Well, at least she’s not blind and deaf.
• Poor Sonny! Who knew it would take a young adult singer to take the super mobster to task for all his prior crimes? Starr’s decision to kidnap Sonny paves the way for the arrival of Todd and Téa this week on GH! Téa hits Port Llantano because Starr needs a lawyer. Where’s Blair? Florencia Lozano explains to DIGEST that Blair is taking care of Sam, who is sick. Téa is still pregnant and furious at Todd for “killing” Victor, who got off because of his post-traumatic stress disorder caused by his mother kidnapping him for eight years. Look for Carly and Todd to pick up their sexual banter immediately. As for Téa, who do you think she’ll be paired with romantically on the show? GH has a lot of leading ladies these days and not enough leading men to go around so your guess is as good as mine!
• Ronnie Marmo has left the building. This week, McBain kills Ronnie.
• In story 411, Jason confronts McPain on his closeness with his wife, Sam. Viewers are speculating that Sam and John are brother and sister, but UNCENSORED has learned that is not in the works at all. “[GH] isn’t going to ruin the explosive chemistry between Michael [Easton] and Kelly [Monaco],” reminds a source.
• Thanks to GH, THE AVENGERS became the highest-grossing domestic box-office opening ever in the history of the world! In related news, ABC allowed GH to have running warm water for another month.
GUIDING LIGHT — Alan Spaulding’s Revenge!
• Whoohoo: Daytime Emmy Award nominee Ron Raines scored a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the Broadway revival of FOLLIES!
“What a thrill and honour to have received a Tony nomination,” Raines tells SOAPS IN DEPTH. “I must say I was a little surprised. It’s a nice gift for me at this stage of the journey.”
THE 66TH ANNUAL TONY AWARDS will air live on Sunday, June 10, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS — #SaveSharonCase
• Update: Last week, UNCENSORED told you there were secret, preliminary behind-the-scenes discussions regarding the future of showrunner Maria Arena Bell. And they continue! Don’t be too surprised if Arena Bell is either let go or given a title in name only very soon. The bosses at Sony and CBS are attempting a coup d’
etat, my sources hint. Even her husband, Bill Bell Jr., agrees!
“Maria’s out of control,” notes an insider. “She structures the whole show around Eric Braeden, and whomever she runs into at a celebrity or art event” opines a staffer. “And she’s throwing her weight around more than usual.”
Moreover, sources inform UNCENSORED that Braeden is thrilled with the controversial Shicktor storyline — but no one else is, including fans. In fact, many claim that the storyline was Braeden’s idea!
And get this: According to a few moles, Shictor is a long-term storyline.
It doesn’t take a Jabot rocket scientist to see that Bell is making serious end-of-show moves but, unlike other P&G and ABC showrunners, this time, it’s not on purpose. Populating her show with AMC actors is the most glaring one. “It’s like she married into the Bells, but she has a hard-on for Agnes Nixon. She married into the wrong family,” jokes another staffer.
• #SaveSharonCase: That’s my new favourite hashtag. As I’ve written before many times, I don’t believe in an actor hijacking a storyline; but the Shictor storyline is a different kind of situation. After viewing today’s Y&R, it was clearly obvious that Sharon Case has no idea how to play these disgusting, nonsensical and contrived scenes, which find Sharon kissing her lifelong “father figure,” Victor. I’ve never seen a bad performance from Case on Y&R, but once you see today’s show, you’ll realize that she is as confused as we are. In a way, Sharon’s mirroring our puzzlement over this soap-killing pairing.
And it gets worse (which should be Y&R’s new marketing campaign): Sharon and Victor will soon have sex. Yep, that sound you hear? A million viewers turning off their TV sets. Or, knowing the taste of the public, they’ll probably tune in to watch the freak show like they did with ONE LIFE’s Todd and Marty. No one ever lost a debit card balance underestimating the taste of the soap opera public… or something like that!
• Everyone is wondering if Cane is Tucker’s son? No. According to a mole, “It hasn’t even been discussed. We have had enough retcons on our show.” Moreover, fans have noticed that Daniel Goddard and Eileen Davidson are sharing more and more screen time? Is Y&R plotting a Cane and Ashley romance? Nope.
• Who wants some hood? Newcomer Blake Hood is a breath of fresh air even if he looks like he’s 35. Doesn’t he resemble Michael Muhney a bit? Well, his adventurous hair certainly does. I couldn’t help but notice Hood’s similar hammy acting style is very Billy Miller. Is this Y&R’s way of replacing Miller should the Emmy winner bolt?
• Angie and Jesse, Part Three: Tired of Debbi Morgan and Stephen Nichols and Kristoff St. John? It looks like YoHarmony and Sarge will be falling in love very soon!
SOAP OPERA MYSTERY HOUR
This week’s hottest blind item
• Which two new love interests are feuding up a storm? And it’s only getting uglier.
THE IDIOT RATINGS: April 23-27
Winners: All Soaps Increase!