JAEGAR LI
Jaegar is a workaholic who watches all nine soaps when working at home. She's been watching soaps since the late 1970s, and some of her earliest memories from soaps involve the introduction of Danny Romalotti onto Y&R way back when. She was an on-again, off-again viewer of soaps until the early 1990s, when she became an ardent fan. She picked up on GL and GH again in the summer of 2005 after long hiatuses and enjoys being able to hop from one show to another to enjoy all the vastly different storylines out there.
Previous Predictions
2005: 3 for 8
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
ATWT. All the soaps nominated in this category had excellent years, but not all of them submitted their best work. As much as I'd like to give my nod to GH, the train episodes were not the best they did all year (personally, I liked the Ruiz/Corinthos shoot-out in the hotel room -- nice use of music). GL and ATWT had some nice variety in their episodes, but my vote ultimately has to go to ATWT. Both episodes submitted showed an excellent use of veteran actors, interesting and different storylines, and 'gripping' drama. (Predictions and submissions aside, my personal vote for the year would have gone to ATWT.)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR
Thorsten Kaye. This has been a great year for every actor involved, no doubt about it. They've all gotten to do some good stuff, some bad stuff, some serious stuff ... you know the drill. I'm torn between Anthony Geary and Thorsten Kaye, but Kaye seems to have the edge with his material, even though Zach Slater is always the same gruff fellow. The vote tends to be equally split between humor and pain, and Kaye has had his ample opportunity and gets my nod for lead actor. (Predictions and submissions aside, my personal vote for the year would have gone to Benard.)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS
Susan Flannery. Again, all five are excellent, but it's Susan Flannery that gets my hands down nod. The scenes she submitted are vintage Stephanie Forrester, and show excellent range from Flannery. (She'd be a guarantee if she was allowed to submit Felicia's 'death' scenes for 2006.) All the women deserve to win, but Flannery had the best showings this year for the submitted episodes and should be rewarded for a year well-worked. (Predictions and submissions aside, my personal vote for the year would have gone to Flannery.)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
Trent Dawson. Humor has always been a major part of the Supporting Actor wins, as well as general underdoggedness on their own show. The episodes submitted have be torn mostly between Greg Rikaart, Jordan Clarke and Trent Dawson, but this has been the year for Trent Coleman -- getting a contract at ATWT, being involved in three major storylines ... Coleman gets my nod because he takes the character of Henry and makes him likeable when it would be so easy to write him off. (Predictions and submissions aside, my personal vote for the year would have gone to Dawson.)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Gina Tognoni. How do you choose between five beautiful and talented women? Pick the one who has committed the worst sins yet makes you feel sorry for her. Gina Tognoni has taken Dinah Marler from a nutty stalker to a character that can be liked and pitied. It's hard to empathize with a character who fakes a pregnancy for a character whose true love she once shot and killed, but Tognoni did it. (Predictions and submissions aside, my personal vote for the year would have gone to Goldsberry.)
OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTOR
Tom Pelphrey. Hmm. Jesse Soffer or Tom Pelphrey. Soffer or Pelphrey. Hmm. That's a tough one. While part of me is thinking that Pelphrey is going to be the winner, but I'm pushing for Soffer. Soffer shows a nice balance of humor and pain, whereas Pelphrey spent so much of the year as the anguished child that it isn't always as powerful. That, and there are better episodes he could have submitted. That said, though, my prediction goes to Tom Pelphrey. (Predictions and submissions aside, my personal vote for the year would have gone to Jesse Soffer.)
OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTRESS
Camryn Grimes. While overall she did not have the most impressive year of all the nominees (how could she? she was barely on for most of it, and then her character passed away not even halfway through the year), the episodes she submitted were amazing. Were it not for the submission of the 'Cassie's death' episode, my vote would have gone to Jennifer Landon as her episode submission was Emmy-worthy for both her and Maura West. (Predictions and submissions aside, my personal vote for the year would have gone to Landon.)
OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A DRAMA SERIES
ATWT. Torn here between OLTL and B&B. Then again, I like the ATWT choices. Ever get stuck between a rock and a hard place? One of the ATWT episodes submitted was my top favorite of the year (and I'm going for all eight categories here), so ATWT gets my nod. The tortured Paul, the edge-of-sanity Emily, the righteous indignation of Dusty, and the defensive pain of Meg ... excellent. (Predictions and submissions aside, my personal vote for the year would have gone to ATWT.)
PICKS AT A CLICK (Check an overview of all our panelists' picks)
DAN J KROLL (Soap Central Founder)
JAEGAR LI (Soap Central Staffer)
LIZ LEE (Soap Central Message Board Moderator)
MARY MOSHOLDER (ATWT/GL Character Profiler)
LISA SVENSON (Non-soap viewer)
