37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

After watching tonight's Daytime Emmy Awards I would have to say that this year's broadcast was not much better than last year's. The extent that soaps are acknowledged on these shows continues to decrease and I fear it will only get worse. I remember when a clip of every actor's nominated performance was shown when their category was announced, now fans barely get a glimpse of the nominees and see nothing of their performances. The only exception is when the category for Outstanding Drama Series is announced and those clips do little to showcase the actors.



The red carpet pre-show was noticeably missing from tonight's broadcast. Last year's show on the CW at least had one of the those. I remember because it seemed like it served as more of a platform for the new fall shows than it actually celebrated the Emmys, but at least it aired.

I thought the Vegas acts tonight were a little distracting. I know that is where the Emmys were located but I didn't really see the purpose of tying "The Lion King," "The Blue Man Group," and "Cirque du Soleil" in with it. In fact once I bypassed all of that, along with the commercials, and announcements for talk shows and game shows it took me less than an hour to watch the entire show.

I can't say I was that surprised by tonight's winners, but I do wish more people from General Hospital had won because in my opinion their cast is among the best in daytime. And I was disappointed that Days of Our Lives wasn't even nominated in the category for Outstanding Drama Series. They have had a remarkable year and it should have been acknowledged as such.

In case you missed tonight's Emmy awards show or just need a quick recap of all the soap winners, here they are...

Supporting Actress

Julie Pinson as Janet

As the World Turns

Supporting Actor

Billy Miller as Billy

The Young and the Restless

Younger Actor

Drew Tyler Bell as Thomas

The Bold and the Beautiful

Younger Actress

Julie Berman as Lulu

General Hospital

Directing Team

General Hospital

Writing Team

The Bold and the Beautiful

Lead Actor

Michael Park as Jack

As the World Turns

Lead Actress

Maura West as Carly

As the World Turns

Outstanding Drama Series

The Bold and the Beautiful

In Memory Of: DOOL

In the past few weeks Days of Our Lives brought back much of their beloved cast to pay tribute to the late Frances Reid and Alice Horton, the character she portrayed for over 40 years. Almost every episode featured clips of the actress as various characters remembered special moments with Alice. Friday's episode was especially touching when everyone gathered for a final goodbye at Alice's funeral. Kristian Alfonso's (Hope) performance literally made me cry. Her grief seemed genuine, which isn't surprising considering that she and Reid shared the screen for many years. That's not to take anything away from Alfonso's abilities as an actress, but she achieved such a high level of sincerity during her performance it would be difficult to describe it as anything other than authentic.

If I have one complaint about the way Days handled the memorialization of Reid and her character it would be the way Mike missed his chance to say goodbye. Obviously this sort of thing happens all the time in real life, but within the frame of the show it felt like this situation cheapened the tribute. It seemed like a way of using Alice's death to create a fleeting moment of drama that wasn't necessary and wouldn't lead anywhere. If they hadn't been memorializing a real woman behind Alice, it would have been different, but since they were it just seemed inappropriate.

It's Not Me, It's You: GH

Over the past few months I have been waiting in vain for something to happen on General Hospital that would captivate my attention or at least give me the impression that something was about to happen to hold my interest. As it turns out that was an exercise in futility because everything I have seen these past few months has convinced me that the show is in a slump, not a "please-be-patient-while-the-storylines-are-building" slump, but a real honest-to-goodness slump, the kind that makes every episode seem exactly the same. I can't even really find anything constructive to say about the show anymore because it feels like the storylines never change. They all involve the same players doing exactly the same thing. Even the dialogue is being recycled from one day to the next. I can't remember a time before Sonny said something that didn't involve some variation of the lines "Johnny's gonna die", "I would never hit a woman", "I wouldn't have shot him if I'd known he was my son", or "You're not going to take my kids away from me". It feels like there's no end in sight and at this point I know exactly what is going to be on every episode without ever turning on my tv. Carly will make spiteful comments about Dante and Lulu behind their back. Dante and Lulu will have sex. Sonny will get upset and do something impulsive. Liz will complain about losing Lucky. Patrick will act like a jealous jerk, and the list goes on and on. The only thing new that has happened recently, besides the Michael rape storyline, which doesn't even deserve a mention, is that Maxie got a new 'do and I think most people would agree that wasn't exactly a step in the right direction.

The Vicious Cycle: GH

Ever since Kristina witnessed Sonny's verbal attack on Claudia at the Metro Court, I have wondered how, if at all, this incident would impact her thoughts on abuse. With Kristina now learning so much more about the complexities of abuse it seems only natural that she would find similarities in the way Sonny is with women and the way Kiefer was with her. Granted, Sonny is not likely to ever hit a woman. He is careful not to cross that line after seeing the way his mother was beaten while he was growing up. His upbringing obviously left him with the impression that abuse only exists in the physical form. Perhaps the physical pain he and his mother endured was so bad that any other forms of abuse went unnoticed. Kiefer didn't start hitting Kristina right away, and I doubt if Deke hit Sonny's mother right away either. Like most abusive situations, there was undoubtedly some mental and emotional abuse that occurred throughout, only Sonny was either too young or ill-equipped to recognize it. People knew less about domestic violence then because no one ever talked about it. I think that makes it harder for Sonny to comprehend how Kristina could possibly compare him to Kiefer.



I must say when I first heard Kristina's idea for helping Johnny destroy Sonny I thought it was a terrible plot twist, but after careful consideration I think it actually makes sense. First of all, I don't think Kristina's sole motivation for helping Johnny is to destroy Sonny. I think there is a part of her that still feels rejected by her father and is looking for any excuse to get his attention. I also think she is having a difficult time figuring out where she should place her anger and blame since Kiefer is dead and she is slowly realizing that she shouldn't blame herself. And let's face it, Sonny isn't always on his best behavior especially around women. He does have a tendency to be demeaning to the women in his life when he is pushed too far. Kristina has witnessed all of this and is now examining it through the eyes of someone keenly aware of abusive signals.


Claudia may be a bad example. She wasn't exactly the innocent victim that Johnny is remembering her as, but Sonny's last words to her could easily be considered abusive. Both the tone and context of his words were demeaning and much of what he said had nothing to do with Michael. Instead he lashed out, saying anything he could think of that might hurt her. Then of course there is the fact that he ordered her to be killed immediately after.


At some point Sonny needs to realize that his lifestyle not only fuels, but encourages volatile behavior. And if his children witness this behavior they are bound to be affected by it in a negative way. I think the way Kristina is reacting to all she has seen, learned, and experienced is a reflection of her age. She's acting impulsively without thinking things through. Of course that is also how Sonny operates, so her behavior could also be attributed to genetics. Kristina's behavior aside, I have to wonder why it was so easy for Johnny to go along with Kristina's plan when he saw Sonny. I don't like the idea that Johnny would be so blinded by his hatred for Sonny that he would ever use Kristina as a pawn, even if she is a willing participant. And I hope this storyline isn't used as a stepping stone for a Johnny/Kristina romance because he is too old for her. Regardless of that, this can only end badly, particularly for Kristina. Sonny may become so angry that he has Johnny killed, which would leave Kristina feeling responsible for yet another death. On the other hand, Sonny may get arrested, making Kristina regret her decision to punish him in the first place. Then of course there is the possibility that Kristina will get caught in the crossfire of Sonny and Johnny's war, becoming the latest casualty of Sonny's lifestyle that he refuses to amend.

I Fall Down An Elevator Shaft? : DOOL

Even though Chloe appears to be losing her mind, I'm glad Days didn't go overboard by making her snap and send Carly to her death. I did love the fact that a rigged elevator was involved in all of this though. That was textbook soap opera 101, and I love soaps that aren't afraid to look, feel, and sound like soaps. In fact I think many soaps, in their efforts to attract a broader audience, have lost the essence of the genre. Scenes that may seem cheesy or contrived in other genres sometimes work well in soaps. As long as these scenes don't compromise the integrity of the characters or the show itself, soaps shouldn't feel the need to completely shy away from them. The whole idea is for them to be entertaining while pushing the storylines forward. If they can accomplish those two things and still maintain plausibility within the show's context they have served a valuable purpose indeed.






[no copyright infringement intended]



Okay so Chloe didn't literally fall down an elevator shaft, at least not in the same way the post title would suggest, but it did remind me of this Days related moment from NBC's Friends.

Days fans might recognize Mike Horton (Roark Critchlow) in this scene. Enjoy!


[This was the only clip of this scene I could find and unfortunately it would not allow me to embed it directly to the blog so if you want to view it you will have to click through the youtube link that comes up when you hit play.]




[no copyright infringement intended]

Port Charles Cupid: GH's Most Unlikely Romances

With all the things that General Hospital has gotten wrong lately, they seem to have an uncanny ability of making successful matches out of the most unlikely couples. Before Georgie died, and Maxie was at her most selfish, no one would have ever thought about a Spinelli and Maxie romance, let alone a non-wedding, but somehow it worked and the audience loved it. And even though this lovable pair has seen less screen time lately and are likely headed for turmoil, I suspect they will follow the same necessary pattern of break-ups and reconciliations that most soap supercouples do.






When Olivia Falconeri landed in Port Charles, I never would have predicted she would be involved with Johnny Zacchara. Olivia was not one to keep her opinions to herself, especially when it pertained to the mob lifestyle, so a relationship with a Zacchara seemed like a long shot at best. Moreover, Johnny is roughly the same age as Dante, so a pairing between him and Olivia wasn't even on anyone's radar the night they met at Jake's. Surprisingly enough though, this couple has such great chemistry that it is easy to forget the age difference. And despite numerous bumps in the road that would have destroyed most couples, Johnny and Olivia are still together after more than a year.






Diane and Max are without a doubt one of the most enjoyable couples to watch on daytime. I never pictured Diane with someone in Sonny's organization, especially Max. Diane is such a strong, no-nonsense character that I always assumed she would need to be matched with someone even tougher than she is in order for anything to work. And after seeing the way Max handled his school-boy crush on Carly, I certainly didn't think he fit that description. However, Max is secure enough that he complements Diane. He doesn't try to hold her back from being the person she is and provides a place where she can go to be herself, where she doesn't always have to be tough.






Whoever said "opposites attract" must have been talking about Kate and Coleman, or Kolemate as I like to call them. Their out-of-the-blue make out session at Jake's the night of Spixie's non-wedding reception took many viewers by surprise, but earned them a legion of supporters hoping for more Kolemate. Since then fans have only seen them sporadically, or heard their names brought up in conversations between other characters. Appearances suggest that the two are in some sort of ongoing relationship, although they are so rarely ever seen it would be difficult to describe exactly what that relationship is. And while it has been fun watching them together, it is time for their relationship to evolve, to be given more depth, more definition, so fans don't forget why they should care about the two of them being together. Kolemate has great potential, but it's time for the show to allow fans to peek behind the curtain so they can watch this potential unfold.