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THE 36th ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS
soapcentral.com panelists predict the Emmy winners: Liz M
Posted Sunday, June 15, 2008 5:21:37 PM
LIZ M
Liz (lizincinti) is a moderator for all three ABC soaps on the soapcentral.com message board forums and does weekly recaps. She loves all soaps but her heart belongs to ABC. Her earliest memories are of watching General Hospital with her mother back in the days of Luke and Laura. Last year was Liz's first time as an Emmy prognosticator -- and she's back this year to see if she can up her total of correct picks.

Previous Predictions
2008: 3 for 8
2007: 2 for 8


Logo OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

The Bold and the Beautiful
 
Oddly, there were only three nominations for this category. Personally, I think everyone should have had a fair shot at winning, but I'm not in charge. Of the three nominations, All My Children is the show that I watch on a regular basis. That said my pick to win the Emmy is The Bold and the Beautiful. While I found All My Children's tornado scenes visually exciting, the stories themselves fell flat. By contrast, Days of Our Lives' storyline of the minutes leading up to a plane crash was a nail-biter. I didn't need to know everyone's history to appreciate the drama as the seconds ticked down to impact. However, The Bold and the Beautiful had the most powerful story with Storm taking his life in order to save the life of his sister. From beginning to end, this story was tragic and heart wrenching.


Christian LeBlanc OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR


Christian J LeBlanc


 
  I have to admit that my favorite soap is General Hospital, so a small part of me will be rooting for Tony Geary on Emmy night. However, I suspect that the winner will be Christian Leblanc. It may have something to do with my compulsive need to watch It's a Wonderful Life at least three times over the Christmas season, but only a little. I simply enjoyed Christian's performance the most. Luke's trial after he had a heart attack was done tongue-in-cheek; it wasn't a serious attempt to delve into the psyche of a character that was facing his mortality. Luke's trial was as disappointing as Zach's reaction to Kendall's infidelity. The performances were good, but not really Thorsten or Tony's best work.


Debbi Morgan OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS

Debbi Morgan


 
  This was like trying to pick between a diamond, emerald, and sapphire. All of the ladies deserve to win it this year. However, my favorite reel submission was Debbie Morgan's. Angie and Jesse's reunion was everything that I had hoped in large part because of Debbie's gripping performance. The scenes where she chased after Jesse's train, screaming his name, were Zhivagoesque. Except this time, instead of Yuri dying as he tries to catch up with Lara, we had a happy ending when Jesse and Angie were finally reunited. Debbie was flawless in the scenes and I found myself glued to the edge of my seat.


Jacob Young OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jacob Young

 
  Bradford Anderson is a wonderful comedic actor who has a quirky way about him that I find charming. I just don't see the character of Damien Spinelli as Emmy worthy. I know he has his fans, but other than falling in love with beautiful women, idolizing mobsters, and waxing poetic about everything under the sun, there's no real depth to the character or range with the performances. By contrast, we have Jacob Young (ex-Lucky, GH) whose Emmy reel focused on the aftermath of the tornado when JR Chandler realized that the love of his life, Babe, was dying. Jacob's performance was phenomenal from start to finish. Although, I have to admit I was also impressed with Vincent Irizzary's scenes as David Hayward, Babe's father. David struggling with thoughts of suicide following his daughter's death was powerful. It really was a toss up between these two fine actors, but what ultimately decided it for me was the range of emotions the characters had to display. David didn't have to be strong for anyone because everyone in Pine Valley despised him. He was free to wallow in his sorrow. JR, on the other hand, had to keep it together for Babe and Little A. We saw that plus JR's profound grief as he watched his soul mate slip away before his eyes.


Bree Williamson OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bree Williamson

 
  I'm thrilled that Alicia Minshew was nominated. I think she is a wonderful actress; however, I just didn't think her Emmy reel adequately reflected her talent. I blame the writers, not Alicia. The scenes following Kendall's revelation that she had slept with Aidan were forgettable because the dialog was repetitious and uninspiring. The same can't be said for Bree Williamson's performance as Jessica Buchanan Brennan following Nash's tragic death. Jessica eulogizing her husband was gut wrenching and shocking because Jessica tore into Natalie and Jared for causing Nash's death. I'm not a fan of Natalie's, but even I was taken aback by Jessica's vehemence. Bree's performance is exactly why I love soap operas.


Cornelius Smith, Jr. OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTOR

Cornelius Smith, Jr.

 
  It wasn't difficult to make a selection in this category. The only real standout performance was from Cornelius Smith Jr, as Frankie Hubbard when he confronted Jesse about where he'd been for twenty years. To be fair, I'm a longtime AMC viewer and these scenes were much anticipated. They were well written with rich dialogue and a broad emotional range. Cornelius and Darnell are well cast as father and son. Those scenes were a testament to that.


Kirsten Storm OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTRESS
Kirsten Storms

 
  I think Julie Marie Berman is a very talented actress. She also bears a striking resemblance to her television parents, so it's incredibly easy to accept her as Lulu Spencer. She does a fabulous job and the scenes of her talking to a comatose Laura, following Logan's murder, were great. Unfortunately for Julie, she was up against Kirsten Storms, as Maxie Jones following Georgie's shocking murder. Kirsten Storms blew me away with her scenes. Maxie is a bad girl who is deeply scarred by the abandonment of her parents. When Felicia came home for Georgie's funeral Maxie's resentment was palpable. Kirsten was fantastic in those scenes at Georgie's memorial.


Logo OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A DRAMA SERIES
General Hospital
 
  This category only had two real contenders: The Bold and the Beautiful and General Hospital. Ironically both stories centered on the violence of guns and it's tragic aftermath. I chose General Hospital because this episode resonated with me. Sonny's reaction to his 13-year old son being shot in the head by a bullet meant for him broke my heart. Seeing the effect the news of Michael's shooting had on his loved ones was powerful. General Hospital has so many talented actors that when they come together for an emotional storyline like Michael's shooting, it's difficult for me to find fault with any scene. The writers didn't pull any punches; the scenes played out exactly as I had imagined they would all those years ago when Carly decided to marry a mobster and raise a family with him.


  • PICKS AT A CLICK (Check an overview of all our panelists' picks)
  • DAN J KROLL (soapcentral.com Founder)
  • TONY S (soapcentral.com DAYS Two Scoops columnist)
  • ALLISON J. WALDMAN (soapcentral.com B&B and Y&R Two Scoops columnist)
  • LISA SVENSON (Non-soap viewer)


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    Related Information

    The Pre-Nominees: Which performers were voted their soap's best?

    Our Predictionssoapcentral.com experts pick who they think will win Emmy gold.
    The Emmy ArchiveFind out who has won Emmys in the past..
    News and More: Return to soapcentral.com's Daytime Emmys FrontPage.


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