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.
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