Heartbreaking Lead Actress and Actor Submissions Get My Vote

It's time now for my observations on the big guns of daytime - the Lead Actress and Actor Emmy categories.

And, after watching all 10 Lead reels, I can honestly say that it will all come down to a difference of opinion as four ladies and three men have spectacular reels.

With 12 Emmys already won among the Lead Actress nominees, alone, this looks to be the toughest and most intense category of all.



OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS -


Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis, General Hospital.) With a killer alcoholism story that was the talk of the industry last year, I expected more from this two-time Emmy winner, but all I got was a lot of histrionics that don't play out well in a 18-minute reel. The reel starts out promising with Alexis confronting Julian and letting him know she will never let him near their unborn child. Voters never find out what happens next as the next two episodes she choose deal with her alcoholism, yet even they don't provide a satisfying ending. The reel ends with a possibly now sober - tho maybe not - Alexis confronting Julian about his killing Carlos. Too much going on here and Grahn's true greatness as an actress, unfortunately, doesn't show. Very poor choices of reel and an example of where taking advantage of the new four-episode rule is actually a disadvantage. If she wins, it's based on the popularity of the storyline and her work as an actress, not on the contents of the reel.

GINA TOGNONI (Phyllis, The Young and the Restless.) Perfect example of how an Emmy reel should flow. First up was Phyllis' testimony against Victor at his trial, which screamed Emmy reel to me when I first saw it. She then puts in a short moment between her and Billy that sets up the final part of the reel, where Jack finds out Phyllis and Billy slept together. Peter Bergman is outstanding - and even a little dominant - in that part of the reel, however, the emotions Tognoni conjurs up are real and true. The only con on this reel is that Tognoni is so brilliant that you want to see more than the just-under eight minutes she submitted.


HEATHER TOM ( Katie, The Bold and the Beautiful.) Going for a record-tying sixth performance Daytime Emmy, Tom certainly has the reel that could do it. She seemlessly goes through the realization that her husband and sister are in love with one another and even while liquored up still makes sense. Then, she breaks down, while drunk, to try and get her life back together, only to discover at the end of her reel, that all of her suspicions were actually true, as she confronts Brooke one last time and walks out on her. In the battle of alcoholics, Tom vs. Grahn, Tom wins by a mile, with a controlled, yet nuanced performance. The writing of these scenes screams Emmy bait, but Tom's flawless performance screams Emmy worthy. And, of note, in the battle of alcoholics, Tom's reel has much more substance, relatability and flow to it in comparison to Grahn's. Another example of what a great Emmy reel should look like.

JESS WALTON (Jill, The Young and the Restless.) A supporting year put in the lead category, Walton's reel is, nonetheless, spectacular and voters may not know that Jill wasn't front and center on the Y&R canvas last year. And even if they do know that, it might not matter. Her first part of her reel deals with bailing Billy out of jail and confronting him about his mistakes. She then has great scenes with Phyllis confronting them about their affair. Then, the reel shifts to Jill dealing with the possibility of Billy dying and confronting everyone about them giving up on him while the subtext clearly is there that she blames herself just as much. This is clearly the strongest part of her very diverse submission. While she may have been a supporting character even in the reel, Walton shines with venom, despair and guilt. She doesn't have two Emmys already for nothing. Tho the reel plays out of chronological order, story wise, the final part packs the greatest punch. Walton's always Emmy worthy, no matter what the material is.

LAURA WRIGHT (Carly, General Hospital.) Wright clearly sets out to tell a story. The first part of reel is sentimental as Carly gives Morgan a necklace and is letting him know how proud she is of him. This part may seem odd to voters, but it sets up the rest of the reel as it ends up being one of the last good memories she has of her son. Following a brief scene with Sonny that ends up foreshadowing everything she fears, the next time we see Carly, we learn Morgan was killed in a car explosion. Raw, brutal and honest, Wright breaks your heart when listening to her last voicemail to her son and then tears into Sonny for his role in the death. Never over the top in this reel, Wright takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions from peace at the beginning of the reel to utter devastation at the end of it. The only reel that reduced me to tears. Wright did some work here. Wright clearly set out to show a complete arc and the only downside to that may be the first scene with Morgan, but by the end of the 20 minutes, you realize why she included it.

A plethora of tremendous reels makes it extremely difficult to rank 2-3-4, tho my 1 and 5 are in stone.

MY RANKINGS -

1. Laura Wright
2. Heather Tom
3. Jess Walton
4. Gina Tognoni
5. Nancy Lee Grahn


And, finally, let's look at the nominees for Best Actor.

Four of the five have Emmy wins under their belt, tho Peter Bergman is the only one to have won in this particular category. Still, with 8 wins between them, the caliber of acting talent proves this category will be every bit as strong as the Lead Actress one.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR -

PETER BERGMAN (Jack, The Young and the Restless.) A three-time winner in the lead category, Bergman has to be considered the front-runner in this year's race. And his reel doesn't disappoint, as he runs the gamut of emotions following the discovery that his wife slept with his brother. From disbelief, to rage to devastation, Bergman displays all the emotions and doesn't hold back. It was the first reel I viewed and it's going to be hard to beat.


SCOTT CLIFTON (Liam, The Bold and the Beautiful.) Fine display of acting if you like way over-the-top and screaming for a 11-minute span. He confronts Quinn about her kidnapping him in two parts of the reel, throws stuff around and then screams at Bill over his betrayal of Katie during the last 2 minutes or so. Took a Tylenol after watching that one.

BILLY FLYNN (Chad, Days of Our Lives.) A first-time nominee and the only one of the five without an Emmy, Flynn proves he deserves to be here. His reel contains his final heartbreaking scenes with Joe Mascolo's Stefano and Flynn is perfection. He continues to mesmerize in dealing with Abigail's breakdown and reported death. The youngest of all the leads in this category, Flynn is more than worthy of the nomination and possibly a win. His scenes with Mascolo, in particular, were brilliant and his breakdown at end palpable.

VINCENT IRIZARRY (Deimos, Days of Our Lives.) Maybe it was the awful writing, but Irizarry just leaves me flat in a reel that I kept checking the time on to see when it ended. Another reel that plays out of chronological order, Irizarry goes ballistic on Nicole for not telling him the truth about the baby Chloe was carrying being his, then it reverts to when they were first getting together, which would seem out of context even to a non-Days viewer. It ends​ with him playing the piano, which he does well, but does not do anything for - or belong in - the reel.

KRISTOFF ST. JOHN (Neil, The Young and the Restless.) Not a show or over the top submission, just pure gut-wrenching heartbreak from second one as Neil finally sees his long-lost mother, forgives her, then recounts his life with his family to her before she dies. I forgot how great an actor Kristoff is cuz he makes it seem so simple and because Y&R wastes his immense talent. He had me hooked from beginning to end, in part because I could relate to losing a mother and in part because he was so good. Showier reels might take home the Emmy, but St. John did something to me that the others - even the brilliant Bergman and Flynn - didn't do for me. He made me feel.

Easily, a three-way race and I suspect Flynn may pull a Tyler Christopher from last year and win and I'd be fine with that. However, my vote is this:



MY RANKINGS -

1. Kristoff St. John
2. Peter Bergman
3. Billy Flynn
4. Vincent Irizarry
5. Scott Clifton

In the end, I think both lead categories come down to how the top three (in actress four) end up rankings wise, as any of them would be worthy Emmy winners.

Supporting Actress Race A Dead Heat; Supporting Actor Not So Much

The Supporting categories in the race for the Daytime Emmy are always the toughest to predict, as often times leads with a lot of material go here, however, this year is not the case.

Even Days' Kate Mansi, who was lead on her show, could be justified as going to supporting because of her tenure on the show, tho I still would have gone lead if I were her.

Other than that, the nominees are fair, though many heavy hitters who should be here - think Judi Evans, Suzanne Rogers or Wally Kurth of Days - aren't, the categories are still pretty stacked and fairly good.

Here's my votes in the Supporting categories:

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS -

STACY HAIDUK (Patty, The Young and the Restless.) Long overdue for a nomination, she is so good at being crazy, it literally breaks your heart. In one moment she's childlike and vulnerable, the next she's certifiably scary. Her scenes involve getting returned to the asylum and then confronting Dylan and Sharon. As with the other categories that I've watched in alphabetical order, this first submission is going to be pretty difficult to beat.

ANNA MARIA HORSFORD (Vivian, The Bold and the Beautiful.) A seasoned primetime performer, that may help her gain some votes within the industry, her reel deals with discovering the lies her husband told her and his infidelity and resulting illegitimate child. This confrontation between Vivian and Julius packed a punch, had me in tears and made me wonder why the Avants aren't front and center on B&B. Her reaction was gut wrenching and totally on the mark.

FINOLA HUGHES (Anna, General Hospital.) That Finola is relegated to supporting by her show and that she has only one Emmy win is a damn shame. Perhaps the most complete reel, Hughes was able to show humor in the first part, when she's waiting for a blind date, sadness in her scenes where Robin tells her she's leaving town and then all-out fierce anger in two separate scenes dealing with Carlos, who murdered her husband.

KATE MANSI (Abigail, Days of Our Lives.) Abigail's descent into insanity is depicted in her reels where she sets Ben on fire and then totally loses it with Chad and subsequent scenes in the insane asylum. Strong reel, but if we're comparing psychos, HAIDUK has the stronger reel in my opinion. Still, great scene choices from Mansi.

KELLY SULLIVAN (Sage, The Young and the Restless.) My only question is why didn't Sullivan take advantage of adding another reel dealing with the initial loss of Christian? This 4-minute reel deals with Sage's discovery that Christian is alive and her confrontation with Sharon that Sharon Case totally dominated. It's not until the final minute or so that Sullivan's rage kicks in and she's actually Emmy worthy.

To date, the toughest category to rank, as the first three could all legitimately win the trophy. Actually sat on this one for a while before voting.

MY RANKINGS - Any of my top three choices would be an excellent choice for the Emmy. Pick 'em

1. Horsford
2. Haiduk
3. Hughes
4. Sullivan
5. Mansi

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR -

JOHN ANISTON (Victor, Days of Our Lives.) It's difficult to believe that this is Aniston's first Emmy nomination in his 40+-year Daytime career, but it is. A brief romantic scene with Maggie followed by a confrontation with his brother and discussion with his son shows he can do it all, but lacks the range that would scream Emmy worthy to me.

STEVE BURTON (Dylan, The Young and the Restless.) Unlike last year when Burton's reel was basically a showcase for eventual Supporting Actress winner, Jessica Collins, this year, his reel is right on point as Dylan deals with the revelation that Sully is not his son and confronts Sharon in two separate parts of the reel about her deception. The middle part deals with Dylan returning Sully to Nick and breaks your heart. Strong possibility.


CHAD DUELL (Michael, General Hospital.) The entire reel deals with death, the first of Sabrina and then later, his brother, Morgan, Duell was far stronger in the latter part of the reel where he confronts both Sonny and Kiki and blames them for Morgan's death. A possibility, tho, wanted to see a little more something from this prior Emmy winner.


JEFFREY VINCENT PARISE ( General Hospital.) Emmy voters love a dual role, but there was nothing distinguishing about the two brothers Parise played except one was pure evil and the other we really don't get to know based on the scenes he submitted. The only scenes that stands out to me is the end ones where Carlos ghost confronts Julian and the middle where Carlos discusses why he wants his baby to be a girl with Sabrina. Guess voters may feel differently, but I didn't see much range in this reel even though there was supposed to be range in the way the scenes were written.


JAMES REYNOLDS (Abe, Days of Our Lives.) The end of his reel where Abe is trying to find out if he's going to die after his shooting and then is comforted by and comforting with Theo are very strong. The first part isn't bad, but the middle part of the reel where Abe, as Mayor of Salem, tries to reassure Salemites following a mass hostage crisis seems like something out of the Old Batman TV series. The last four minutes or so are strong enough for a win, just wonder how distracting the middle was for voters.

MY RANKINGS -

1. Burton
2. Duell
3. Reynolds
4. Aniston
5. Parise

Younger Performers Submit Strongly In Race For Daytime Emmy

Let the Daytime Emmy race begin!

With the National Academy of Arts and Sciences once again putting up the drama performing reels on their Facebook page, it gives soap fans a chance to see what the stars actually submitted for Emmy consideration.

And, it allows me to post my annual totally incorrect predictions on who will win the golden statuettes when they're handed out on April 30.

Emmy rules changed this year, so performers can submit up to 20 minutes from any four shows. For the past several years, they could only select two entire episodes in which they appeared. That often presented a problem, as a reel would contain filler scenes that sometimes diluted the actual strong scene they were submitting.

The new rule sounds good on paper, however, at least in a few of the younger reels, the myriad of episodes don't always make sense when jumping from one dramatic moment to another.

Case in point is the first scene in the first OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTRESS category.

LEXI AINSWORTH (Kristina, General Hospital.) The reel starts out with a brief clip of Kristina being held at gunpoint at Alexis' wedding, which sets a bad tone for the rest of the reel. One would think. Ainsworth ultimately really runs the gammet of emotions in the rest of the reel, admitting to her parents first off that she tried to Exchange sex for good grades and later coming out to her father (Maurice Benard in a bravo performance.) Except for first minute, this reel was strong.

REIGN EDWARDS (Nicole, The Bold and the Beautiful.) A short scene with Nicole laying the hammer down with Zende is followed up with Nicole emotionally explaining to him why she could never be with him. While I would have liked to have seen a little more of the firery Nicole in the reel, you could definitely relate to her emotions. Strong follow up to Ainsworth's reel.

HUNTER KING (Summer, The Young and the Restless.) You can never count out a two-time Emmy winner, and King delivered a solid performance confronting Victor and Luca in her two submissions. Not sure it holds up against the first two performers I watched.

ALYVIA ALYN LIND (Faith, The Young and the Restless.) She took advantage of the entire 20-minute time limit, which could have been a huge detriment, but she reels you in with her reel, as Faith has to face the loss of her stepmother and later her brother in three separate episodes. The range this child has is tremendous, however, the reel gets monotonous by the end and she was definitely stronger in the first part of the reel as opposed to the last part of it.)




CHLOE LANIER (Nelle, General Hospital.) Nothing shouts out Emmy to me in this reel, as she talks to Morgan about losing her kidney, later discusses Morgan's death with Michael and then drugs Sonny's drink to take advantage of him. To her own credit, the reel did end strongly, tho.



MY RANKINGS -

1. Ainsworth
2. Edwards
3. Lind
4. King
5. Lanier

OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTOR -

BRYAN CRAIG (Morgan, General Hospital.) The first reel I watched in this category and right out of the gate, the defending champion knocked it out of the ballpark in scenes at the hospital confronting his parents who are trying to lock him up to deal with his bipolar disorder. Then the reel ends with Morgan on the ledge wanting to commit suicide. Had me in tears. Going to be hard to beat.

PIERSON FODE ( Thomas, The Bold and the Beautiful.) Fode confronts Caroline with the paternity of his son and is solid, tho Lynsey Godfrey is even better, which could help, but may hurt Fode's chances. As reel progresses, tho, Fode shows all sorts of emotions that bring you in. Rage, disbelief and pure emotion. Very strong and he does take over from Godfrey by the middle of it and makes the reel his own. May not be showy enough to win, but on other hand, the control of his emotions he displays may be the difference that clinches it for him.


JAMES LASTOVIC ( Joey, Days of Our Lives.) A brief six minutes in content, Lastovic, though, uses the most of it in scenes admitting hisrelationship with Ava to his father and then killing Ava in her hospital room and dealing with that aftermath with Patch. May be trying a little too hard in the reel, tho, but is good.

TEQUAN RICHMOND (TJ, General Hospital.) Confrontation between TJ and his mother and later with Curtis about Sean being his real father. Strong submission with lots of fire and emotion, yet a controlled performance. Later he discusses everything with his mother following Morgan's death. Could win, tho a little too understated.

ANTHONY TURPEL (RJ, The Bold and the Beautiful.) In his very first episode, Turpel hit it out of the park and it makes for a strong submission as he confronts his parents over Brooke wanting to marry Bill. The first two minutes are a little slow, and I would have eliminated them from the reel, but other than that, an excellent submission.

MY RANKINGS - (Tough four-way race, but Craig had me so drawn in that think he wins a second-consecutive win.)

1. Craig
2. Fode
3. Richmond
4. Turpel
5. Lastovic

MISS USA 2017 - Separating The Contenders From The Pretenders

After IMG's first Miss USA Pageant last June, the change in the direction the competition was taking was clearly evident.

With the crowning of Deshauna Barber the tone was set that the pageant was looking for someone with good communication skills and a story to back it up.

Barber has confirmed in recent media interviews that this year's pageant will be no different and that interview is the most important phase of competition.

Therefore, it makes it more difficult to clearly assess who the frontrunners might be for the 2017 Miss USA crown, to be given out May 14th on Fox.

I'm going to try anyway.

After all, the same criteria was given for the recent Miss Universe Pageant and we still ended up with a stunningly beautiful Miss France as the winner, so there is no reason our next Miss USA can't have the attributes the organization is looking for and still be gorgeous.

So, here goes with my pre-arrival picks, which certainly will change after the preliminary presentation show, after which I'll put up a separate blog with more likely and more accurate and detailed predictions and observations.

THE FRONTRUNNERS -

UTAH has NEVER left my top three and I continue to rank her as my favorite to win the crown. Not only is she gorgeous, but she has a story, a pretty good one, too. Her mother, Gretchen Polhemus, was MIss USA 1989, and one of the most popular winners in the pageant's history. That would certainly attract a lot of media attention, wouldn't it? My only suggestion for Bayley would be to trim her overly long locks.

If this were old school Miss USA, TENNESSEE would be my choice. I still have her in my top three and should be a certain Miss Photogenic winner. She just doesn't take a bad picture and has a huge personality. In a sea of many blondes this season, she clearly stands out.

Completing my Top Three is MASSACHUSETTS, and not just because she is a cheerleader for my favorite football team, the New England Patriots, either. She is tall, stunning, yet not at all pageanty at all. Have heard her speak numerous times and she can do the job. As far as stories go, not sure either MASS or TN have one, but hopefully they do to maintain their status as frontrunners.

Finally, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, could score a repeat with this year's winner, who was first runner up to Deshauna in DC last year. Facially beautiful and well spoken, my only concern is that she sometimes appears too confident and it could be misconstrued as arrogance. We will see.

THE SECOND TIER -

The following states are consistently looking and sounding good and could move up to frontrunner status if my top four falter.

NEVADA - Another gorgeous blonde, whose director is Shanna Moakler, Miss USA 1995, and Shanna knows what she's doing. She softened her blonde coloring and has consistently had Lauren in the public eye since her crowning. She may, however, still be a little too sexy for the new image the pageant is reportedly going for, though.

ARKANSAS - Another blonde, but one who seems a little more Girl Next Door than Nevada. She has consistently improved her look since winning her state title.

CALIFORNIA - The winner in an extremely competitive key state, she has been fairly lowkey in pre-pageant media posts, however, she dominated her state pageant and I expect her to turn it on once she arrives at the actual national pageant.

PENNSYLVANIA - With stunning red hair, she will definitely stand out, however, her girl next door look is what brings me in even more. I would not be surprised if she made top three or actually won the whole thing.

OTHER STRONG POSSIBILITIES -

SOUTH CAROLINA is one I keep going back and forth on. ILLINOIS, too, but I think SC has lived up to her hype more than the latter. Would like to see a little more energy from SC and a little more glamour from ILL

MINNESOTA - A former Miss South Dakota at Miss America, she is tall and beautiful and has good communication skills, however, I haven't seen a lot from her since her crowning in a very competitive state pageant. Undecided.

MY SLEEPERS -

There is not a lot of hype on SOUTH DAKOTA, but she could actually be exactly what they are looking for. A former contestant at Miss America, Tessa has a gorgeous face and tremendous interview and personality. Her downfall if she had been competing three years ago would be her height. I don't think that will be a problem with the new direction the organization is clearly headed toward. She's definitely my sleeper pick. Love her!

COLORADO is one who will either soar or go unplaced. I personally like her look and communication skills, but don't know a lot about her. Just call it a hunch, but there is something about her that makes me think she could contend.

MAINE - My main criticism of her is that she hasn't always looked fresh and at 26, she is one of the older contestants. However, in recent candids, she has shed some of that pageant tread and has made me look at her again.

VIRGINIA - Another red head, I liked her when she won her state pageant, but she has been kind of under whelming since then. Needs to bring her A game, especially since PENNSYLVANIA is constantly bringing hers and because a reported top 12, rather than a traditional top 15, means only the strong will survive.

OTHER THOUGHTS -

TEXAS might get up there on sash factor alone, but I think she is in trouble, as she has a sort of harsher look and does not look fresh. She is going to need to refer to MAINE of all states, for lessons on how to fix that before the pageant begins.

NEW YORK went from blonde to red hair and it didn't do her any favors. Two red heads are red, three might be overkill. While there are a ton of blondes this year, which may have prompted her hair-color change, I just think it was a mistake and that she actually stood out more as a blonde rather than a ginger.

ALABAMA - I originally thought the state's placement record was over when she was crowned, however, she has stepped up to the plate and used her negative - being still in her teens - and turned it into a positive by getting a chic haircut and dominating the social media airwaves with a strong voice. Still think she's iffy, but would put her in before I put either TEXAS or NY in the top 12.

NEW JERSEY - Like her ethnic look, but is a little underwhelming when in action. That could easily be fixed before prelims begin.

STILL LOOKING AT -

ARIZONA, IOWA, MICHIGAN, NEBRASKA, NEW MEXICO ( tho she's dropping fast) and RHODE ISLAND.



Of course, this list isn't exhaustive or definitely not perfect by any means, it's just a pageant fan's opinion on an ever-changing competition that IMG will likely even tweak some more before the prelims begin. Also, as any pageant fan will confirm, once the girls arrive and the real pageant starts, favorites almost always fall and underdogs almost always emerge. This blog is simply my annual pre-arrival opinion.

So until next month, these are my thoughts on what should actually prove to be a quite competitive national pageant.




For more information on the candidates for Miss USA 2017, download the Miss Universe app.