Dan recently celebrated the 21st anniversary of the founding of his web site, Soap Central. He is also the host of the weekly live Internet radio show, Kroll Call. He became hooked on soaps because of All My Children and quickly fell in love with the genre. His work on Soap Central over the past two decades has given him an appreciation for all of the soaps and talented men and women in front of and behind the camera. Dan is also a renowned snacker and supporter of all things Philly, and he takes strange pride in never having been nominated for anything.
As has been the case for the past few years, Dan will share how he would have voted if he were an Emmy voter and also offer his thoughts on who the pool of Emmy voters will select. Sometimes the two choices are the same -- and sometimes they are wildly different. And somehow, they are usually both still wrong.
▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Drama Series
▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Lead and Actress
▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Supporting Actor and Actress
▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Younger Actor and Actress
▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Guest Performer
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2014: 1 for 8
2013: 6 for 8 2012: 3 for 8 2011: 3 for 8 2010: 2 for 8 2009: 3 for 8 2008: 5 for 8 |
2007: 2 for 8
2006: 5 for 8 2005: 3 for 8 2004: 0 for 8 2003: 2 for 8 2002: 2 for 8 2001: 1 for 8 |
On GH, Chad Duell has played everything from a jerk to a young man crushed by the death of his father. And he's done it all well. I am not sure that this episode really shows everything that he is capable of. In the next section, I talk about how he played a (bleep!) in a scene where he was bedding a woman other than his girlfriend. This reel was a little long and had a little too much repetition, as is often the case with GH because there's a lot of kowtowing to short-attention-span theatre and folks who may not watch every day. I think it is only a matter of time before Chad wins an Emmy. I am just not sure if voters will respond to his reel this year.
When Kristoff St. John needs to sell something on-screen, I'm there buying. He could convince me to wolf down some lobster tail -- and I have a shellfish allergy. Before going into the reel, I need to get something off my chest: I hate the sofa in Neil's living room. It was so bad that I found it distracting. Neil probably didn't mind because he had temporarily lost his vision. Playing someone with an impairment has to be one of the toughest things for an actor to do. It takes restraint. It takes skill. It takes respect. Kristoff nailed all three. There were a lot of great flashbacks to explain Neil and Malcolm's relationship, which were great -- but were there too many? There's a reason Kristoff has two Emmys on his mantel (at least I am assuming that's where they are. I mean, it's not like I am peering through the window, looking. That would be something a soap character would do). This reel is a strong argument for him to have a third golden lady.
No one on daytime does "angry" the way that Jacob Young does "angry." It was one of my favorite things about watching Jacob as JR on All My Children. And that is not to in any way say that he is a one-note actor. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. In the reel he submitted -- a single episode when B&B actors are permitted to submit two because the show is half the length of the other soaps -- we got to see disbelief, anger, full-on rage, and heartbreak. He also benefited from a strong ensemble performance from at least half a dozen other cast mates. I think this reel is really hard to beat.
Who voters will pick: Jacob Young (Rick Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful)
The final rankings: Jacob Young, Kristoff St. John, Chad Duell, Scott Clifton
On my reel-watching notes, I wrote "Eh" in the section reserved for Amelia Heinle's reel. I wasn't particularly moved by it. It required a lot of knowledge of what happened in other episodes, in my opinion, and if that is not something that is to be considered when voting... then I am not sure if a voter would know what was going on. Voters may not care. The episode does have the benefit of discussing a dead child, which usually has Emmy gold written all over it. It's a very heart-strings-tugging blip of a segment at the top of the reel, and Amelia nailed it. But after that, there wasn't a lot of substance to the reel. But when you pick an episode, you have submit the entire episode -- not just the good parts. So while it starts strong, it's final moments aren't at the same level. Another fun (or not-so-fun) fact: since this category was established back in 1979, no actress has had back-to-back victories. Streaks are, however, meant to be broken.
I picked Elizabeth Hendrickson to win in this category last year. Once again, I was the kiss of doom. I've been a fan of hers since she made her daytime debut on All My Children. I think the actress with one of the longest names has been underappreciated in the past, and she is very deserving of her back-to-back nominations. There are a few big plusses that are in her favor again this year. The episode that she submitted was her final episode as a series regular, so emotions were high, and much of the episode was written for her and her exit. There were great performances from her cast mates -- Greg Rikaart, Tracey Bregman, Melissa Claire Egan, Kate Linder, Christian LeBlanc. It was, however, long, and there were some plot points that, if a voter isn't up on their Y&R, the voter might not be understood. As I've said in the past, Emmy voters often seem to reward long-time soap performers who have left daytime.
The chemistry between Finola Hughes and Ian Buchanan is off-the-wall bananas. It almost makes be forget that for some odd reason Finola is nominated in the Supporting Actress category. This is an actress who should be driving story -- and has. Finola is a great cry-er. I want to see her and Lead Actor nom Jason Thompson have a cry-off. But it's not just about being able to cry convincing. Finola has a great "what the heck?" expression that she flashes in this reel that just gets me. She allows a viewer to come up with dialogue in their head without needing a line of dialogue on the page. It's a really strong reel.
Lisa Locicero is in the same position that Linsey Godfrey was last year. She submitted an amazing reel, but it's not dramatic. The category is for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Does a reel have to be dramatic in order to win? It's the same thing I asked earlier in this section about the definition of "Supporting." If voters want dramatic, then Lisa doesn't stand a chance. But this is one of the few reels this year that made me feel something. I laughed, and laughed, and laughed. On top of that, Wally Kurth was a perfect scene partner for Lisa. They played off each other incredibly well. This reel had a theme that has never before been seen in Emmy voting, and after 42 years of Daytime Emmys, that's something pretty doggone special.
Who voters will pick: Linsey Godfrey
My final rankings: Lisa Locicero, Linsey Godfrey, Finola Hughes, Elizabeth Hendrickson, Amelia Heinle
