OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS

Nominee Handicapping

• Eileen Davidson 3 to 1
• Heather Tom 5 to 1
• Arianne Zucker 12 to 1
• Katherine Kelly Lang 13 to 1

WHO WILL WIN: Eileen Davidson

WHO SHOULD WIN: Eileen Davidson

DON’T COUNT OUT: Heather Tom

We are down to four finalists for the competitive Lead Actress category. The performance of the Daytime Emmy season that had fans and critics screaming her name through the rooftops was Eileen Davidson for her delicious portrayal of Kristen DiMera on Days of our Lives! And in her nominated scenes, it’s the big showdown between sworn enemies Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) and Ms. DiMera after Marlena ruins wedding number # 1 to Brady! As played by Davidson, Kristen certainly knocked the mighty Marlena down a few pegs! But Eileen also showed the pathetic nature of Kristen in the process. A tour de force indeed! It’s time to give this daytime veteran her due and this was the reel to do make that become a reality! But don’t count out five-time Daytime Emmy winner, Heather Tom of The Bold and the Beautiful who has the kind of reel that wins acting Emmys. As Katie Logan Spencer, she is put through the emotional ringer when she learns her sister Brooke had an affair with her husband, (well sort of at the time), Bill! And the result was Brooke got pregnant! Devastated by the bombshell, Tom plays every nuance, every beat, and every moment to the hilt. If Heather wins her sixth Emmy she will tie OLTL’s Erika Slezak (Viki) as the most decorated Daytime Emmy actress in history and she just may do it!

Arianne Zucker has been delivering performance after performance for years now as Nicole Walker on Days of our Lives. For her Lead Actress nomination she runs the gamut of emotions as Nicole lets Eric know just how upset she is that he could believe and accuse her of drugging and raping him! And finally, after over 26 years as Brooke Logan Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, the most recognized soap star around the world, Katherine Kelly Lang finally was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress. In her nominated work, Brooke is stunned from Bill’s news that he is dumping her to go back to Katie! The reel had a beginning, middle and end that potentially be the stuff that wins Emmys, but can it be enough to beat the mighty Davidson and Tom?

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR

Nominee Handicapping:

• Billy Miller 2 to 1
• Jason Thompson 4 to 1
• Doug Davidson 6 to 1
• Peter Bergman 12 to 1
• Christian LeBlanc 15 to 1

WHO WILL WIN: Billy Miller

WHO SHOULD WIN: Billy Miller or Jason Thompson

DON’T COUNT OUT: Peter Bergman or Doug Davidson

This is a category of heavy hitters; each of whom submitted great representations of their work and the kind of acting style and presence that separates them from the pack … and each other! Two of the five nominees stand out to us among the rest and that is former The Young and the Restless star Billy Miller and General Hospital’s Jason Thompson. But from all accounts the man to beat this year is two-time Daytime Emmy winner Billy Miller, who for the first time in his daytime career submitted himself in the Lead Actor category. In his emotional scenes, Miller as Billy Abbott is trying to cope with the death of his daughter Delia who was killed by a hit and run driver, and his part in it for leaving her alone in the car when going to a convenience store at night. The major hankie moment comes when alone with his wife Victoria, Billy admits he does not know what to do or how to feel over the loss of his daughter. It is an exceptionally strong performance. Another strong contender is the work of Jason Thompson as General Hospital’s Dr. Patrick Drake. In his scenes, Patrick is faced with the heartache of delivering the heartbreak to girl friend and almost bride Sabrina, that he has decided to go back to his originally thought believed-to-be-dead wife, Robin. The arc of the reel has poignant, touching, hankie moments that ends with romantic melt-even-the-coldest-of hearts moment, when Patrick comes home to be with his wife for Christmas. Thompson showed why he is the quintessential leading man of daytime with the acting chops to back it up!

However, Miller and Thompson face some stiff competition from last year’s Daytime Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actor The Young and the Restless Doug Davidson. Doug turned in another emotional reel where Paul talks young Jamie down from committing suicide and jumping of a roof, which that dovetails into how Paul could not help his own late son Ricky. Paul also visits Phyllis, and Michael and Lauren, and let’s them know that their children, Summer and Fen, played a major part in Jamie’s bullying that led to his actions. Davidson was again extremely moving.

The Young and the Restless Peter Bergman may have had the most perfect all around Best Actor reel for its peaks and valleys and emotional turns as Jack finds out he is the biological father of Summer Newman, and then wants to take a drink and fall back into the pill and booze addiction he just recovered from! Betrayal, shock, sadness, and more were just some of the complexities played by Bergman. Finally, three-time Lead Actor Daytime Emmy winner Christian LeBlanc of The Young and the Restless takes the viewer on how Michael Baldwin’s DA mind works by putting together the clues that his wife Lauren is cheating on him with another man, and the realization of the betrayal and the reasons that led to it! All the while Lauren never really spitting out the words that she actually had an affair. LeBlanc has his own unique style that earned him another shot at the gold!

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR

Nominee Handicapping

• Bradford Anderson 2 to 1
• Steve Burton 4 to 1
• Eric Martsolf 4 to 1
• Scott Clifton 5 to 1
• Dominic Zamprogna 10 to 1

WHO WILL WIN: Bradford Anderson

WHO SHOULD WIN: Bradford Anderson or Eric Martsolf

DON’T COUNT OUT: Steve Burton or Scott Clifton

General Hospital’s Bradford Anderson had been nominated now for his fifth Daytime Emmy and has yet to win the gold, but this year he tops last year’s reel which we predicted him to win and he didn’t … so kept that in your hats! This year, Bradford as Spinelli pulls out all the stops in the scenes where he learns that girlfriend Ellie and long-time love and friend, Maxie both duped him! That in fact, he is the biological father of then named baby Connie. Anderson played the angst, betrayal, and even moments of joy that he is indeed a father in an emotional performance. This category is too close to call though, and on the heels of Anderson is The Young and the Restless Steve Burton. As Dylan McAvoy, Burton has reel learning that his character was duped too! Only instead of learning that he is the bio-dad to baby Connor, Dylan learns the opposite. Adam is the biological father! In a moment that just might win Burton his second Daytime Emmy, Dylan lets Chelsea in on the absolute devastation he feels at her deceit!

Then there is The Bold and the Beautiful’s Scott Clifton! Having already won two Daytime Emmys, Clifton has become an Emmy darling, of sorts. And once again this year he has the material that wins Emmys. In an emotional scene that could win it, Liam tells his father Bill just what he wants to say to Steffy who lost their baby when getting on her motorcycle to go for a ride, but winds up getting into an accident! Liam is angry that she took away his possibility to be a father! He lets out what he wants to say at the prodding of his strong-willed father. As for the impressive performance of Days of our Lives Eric Martsolf, this dark horse just might surprise and take the gold. In no-holds barred scenes, Brady is confronted by Eric, Nicole, and Daniel and tries to convince the trio that he is not using drugs, but instead a vile of cocaine spills out of his pocket and the denials become an emotional and angry purge against those who try to help him. Clearly, the best material of Martsolf’s long soap career and he savored every moment of it. Finally, first time Daytime Emmy nominee Dominic Zamprogna of General Hospital pours his heart out as Dante Falconeri to his father Sonny, over the fact that his relationship with his wife Lulu is slipping away from him, and he doesn’t know if he can get their romance back on track after losing custody of baby Connie. Zamprogna’s reel has a solid beginning, middle, and end, which always works with voters.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Nominee Handicapping:

• Amelia Heinle 2 to 1
• Elizabeth Hendrickson 2 to 1
• Jane Elliot 3 to 1
• Kelly Sullivan 5 to 1
• Melissa Claire Egan 10 to 1

WHO WILL WIN: Elizabeth Hendrickson

WHO SHOULD WIN: Amelia Heinle

DON’T COUNT OUT: Jane Elliot

The Outstanding Supporting Actress category is a real battle between subtle performances and those with big emotional outbursts and stakes. Each of these ladies deserves the right to be here and it’s a tough race to call as well. For our money, the understated Amelia Heinle of The Young and the Restless gave the most relatable and real performance. Devastated over the loss of her step-daughter Delia, Victoria blames herself for her death, and then tries to figure out how to help her grieving husband, Billy. Heinle allowed herself to looks a mess for these scenes, make-up smeared, tears flowing, and looking like she had been up all night in utter grief. We believed every moment of this … a stellar piece of work by Heinle … as she illustrated how anyone who has ever suffered an unbearable tragedy feels helpless of what to do next when faced with a moment in your life such as this. On the flipside is the powerhouse performance of former The Young and the Restless star Elizabeth Hendrickson as the grieving biological mother of Delia, Chloe who is rocked to her core with the news that her daughter was killed and then lashes out at two men in her life who she holds responsible in different ways … Billy and Kevin! It was another tour de force moment, and from all accounts could win Hendrickson her first Daytime Emmy!

But then there is the actresses’ actress! The one and only Jane Elliot of General Hospital in the now classic “whole enchilada” scene where Tracy tells Luke how she wants to be loved, and she won’t settle for anything less! Elliot is masterful! You can’t get any better than this … and it’s been 33 years since Jane last won an Emmy! Will this be the year that Elliot gets her standing ovation for a career of beloved performances? Kelly Sullivan blew us all away with her performance as multiple personalities Kate/Connie on General Hospital. Sullivan should have been in the Lead Actress category last year but was snubbed. This year, in her final season at GH, she gets a nod for her performance when Connie comes to the realization that the son she had who was the product of rape has died, and she barely tried to have a relationship with him. It’s dark and Sullivan has an explosive moment in her reel which shows the sadness of this whole set-up. Y&R’s Melissa Claire Egan delivered another solid performance as Chelsea comes clean and admits to Dylan that Adam is her baby’s father and tries to convince the war vet that nothing has changed between them.

OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTRESS

Nominee Handicapping:

• Kelley Missal 2 to 1
• Hunter King 5 to 1
• Kristen Alderson 5 to 1
• Linsey Godfrey 10 to 1
• Kim Matula 10 to 1

WHO WILL WIN: Kristen Alderson or Kelly Missal

WHO SHOULD WIN: Kelley Missal

DON’T COUNT OUT: Linsey Godfrey

This should go to One Life to Live’s Kelley Missal for her performance after Dani Manning OD’s at Club Shelter and is reunited in the hospital with her two dads … Victor Jr. and Todd Manning! And any young actress who can hold her own with Trevor St. John and Roger Howarth and command the attention in the scenes deserves some gold! However, will the fact that OLTL was an online series hurt Kelly’s chances with the voters? The Young and the Restless Hunter King submitted the scenes where she learns Nick is not her “bio-dad” but Jack is! Hunter gave a believable and emotional performance. The issue we had with this was some of the dialog she had to say just felt overly “soapy” and was a detractor. This could be the second year in a row that General Hospital’s Kristen Alderson takes home the award in this category for her performance as Starr Manning, not Kiki Jerome. In submitting this episode under the Emmy guideline eligibility dates, Starr learns it was Johnny that blew out Anthony’s tires that caused the accident that claimed the life of her daughter Hope and her boyfriend Cole and she lets him have it with both barrels! The Bold and the Beautiful’s Linsey Godfrey could win this award on her comedic turn as Caroline imagines how a revamped “Room 8”web series might look if Maya and Carter were pushed into a sexually-charged moment on-screen. It’s so different than any other of the actresses reel in the competition, it makes her stand out! Last but not least, after years of getting snubbed, The Bold and the Beautiful’s Kim Matula is nominated for her work as Hope Logan. The issue with her reel to us is that Scott Clifton commanded the scenes between them, and it took awhile to get to the moments where Kim shines. It could backfire, or it could work! This is the Daytime Emmys after all, where often time logic is thrown out the window!

OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTOR

Nominee Handicapping

• Chandler Massey 4 to 1
• Bryan Craig 6 to 1
• Daniel Polo 7 to 1
• Chad Duell 10 to 1
• Max Ehrich 12 to 1

WHO WILL WIN: Chandler Massey

WHO SHOULD WIN: Chandler Massey

DON’T COUNT OUT: Bryan Craig and Daniel Polo

So Chandler Massey is no longer on Days of our Lives, but certainly not forgotten. He has won two Daytime Emmys in a row for his portrayal as Will Horton, and we got to say in this simple, understated, three and a half minute reel, Chandler looks to be the man of the hour in the Younger Actor category again this year. In the reel, Will professes how much he loves his unborn daughter and had been looking forward to being a dad, and that he comes to the realization that he can’t believe he was so willing to sign over the parental rights to his daughter to Nick. The scenes once again illustrated why Massey was one of the greatest finds on daytime. Chandler’s competition comes in the form of General Hospital’s Bryan Craig. As Morgan Corinthos, Bryan delivers a knock-out performance as his own father blows his cover, and Kiki and Michael come to the realization that Morgan knew they were not related prior to Morgan’s wedding to Kiki, which kept the lovers apart! Bryan is terrific playing the anger and spitefulness at his own father and more! The other nominee who stands a shot is Daniel Polo as bullied Jamie on The Young and the Restless. He is terrific. The problem is this reel cut away from him to so many people entering the scenes, that we think in the end it might take away from what was there … a touching and raw performance. General Hospital’s Chad Duell is in the race again this year, for his performance as Michael Corinthos stopping his one father Sonny for trying to kill his bio-father AJ. The reel picks up in the middle, which might hinder Duell’s chances. Max Ehrich of The Young and the Restless continued to give viewers of the CBS soap opera gut-wrenching performances throughout the Emmy season as Fen Baldwin. In his chosen reel Fen learns he might be responsible for the murder of Carmine.

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

Nominee Handicapping:

• Days of our Lives 2 to 1
• The Young and the Restless 3 to 1
• The Bold and the Beautiful 8 to 1
• One Life to Live 8 to 1

WHO WILL WIN: The Young and the Restless

WHO SHOULD WIN: Days of our Lives

DON’T COUNT OUT: The Bold and the Beautiful

In a year when General Hospital was snubbed for its 50th anniversary season, four soaps vie for the Outstanding Drama Series including the online reboot of One Life to Live! Days of our Lives brings the melodramatic soapy goodness with its two episode submissions which centers around Nick’s confession to Gabi that he was raped in prison, and then has the now classic showdown between Kristen and Marlena after Kristen’s failed wedding ceremony number one to Brady. In the second episode, the antics and the shock of Eric and Kristen’s drugged tryst is shown in full display to the wedding guests at Brady and Kristen’s botched marriage ceremony number two. The episodes had the big moments of the year for Eileen Davidson, and Blake Berris, who was shockingly snubbed in the Supporting Actor category for that performance. This could mark DAYS back-to-back wins in the Drama Series category! Their greatest competition comes from The Young and the Restless who submitted the episode where Billy waits by the side of the road for the ambulance and flashes forward to what life would be like watching his daughter Delia grown up. That is intercut with the tense long minutes of waiting to get her to the hospital. In the second episode, it’s the pick-up of Chloe learning that Delia is dead and the aftermath. This clearly could tip the scale and win the award for the most nominated show of them all, Y&R.

The Bold and the Beautiful submitted the episodes of Katie learning of Brooke and Bill’s portrayal from none other than Taylor and the fallout! The issue we had with this is it is juxtaposed with the comedic “Room 8” storyline, which may earn points with voters for showing both drama and comedy, but it was distracting for us. And as for One Life to Live, who doesn’t love the opening scene getting to see Viki and Clint together again after ABC canceled the show? Even getting OLTL to life again was an amazing achievement even if for a short time. The club Shelter scenes showed the splash effect, and the prelude to the Man of the Year meltdown showed the acting chops of the cast. But could it possibly be the sleeper winner of the year? Wouldn’t a win by One Life be the talk of the night?

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

Nominee Handicapping:

• The Young and the Restless 4 to 1
• Days of our Lives 6 to 1
• The Bold and the Beautiful 8 to 1

WHO WILL WIN: The Young and the Restless

WHO SHOULD WIN: The Young and the Restless

DON’T COUNT OUT: Days of our Lives

The Young and the Restless had the story, like it or not, that pulled at the heartstrings with the death of little Delia. The scripts held emotional material that gave most of the actors in the story Daytime Emmy nominations! Days of our Lives had great soap opera with Kristen and Brady’s story and Nick’s confession. The Bold and the Beautiful always knows how to write to its strengths … big moments for five-time Daytime Emmy winner, Heather Tom! This really could go one of the three ways, but knowing the Emmys, it looks to be going home to Genoa City!

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

Nominee Handicapping:

• The Young and the Restless 5 to 1
• The Bold and the Beautiful 6 to 1
• One Life to Live 8 to 1

WHO WILL WIN: The Young and the Restless

WHO SHOULD WIN: The Young and the Restless

DON’T COUNT OUT: The Bold and the Beautiful

This could go to the talented directing team of The Bold and the Beautiful for both a splashy remote and drama. It could go to The Young and the Restless for their stylized storytelling which incorporates interesting directorial choices, or it could do to the online revival of One Life to Live for its splashy episode! Very close to call, Y&R by an Emmy nose over B&B!

Now that you have read our predictions, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Who should win in the Daytime Drama Categories on Sunday night? Let us know!