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Beloved Soap Stars Left Out of 2021 Primetime Emmy Broadcast In-Memoriam Tribute

Photos: ABC/IMDB

Last night, during the presentation of the 73rd annual Primetime Emmys broadcast on CBS, the annual In-Memoriam segment brought with it so many households names in a year that saw so many legacy talents and more pass away.

The tribute was performed by Leon Bridges and Jon Batiste to Bridge’s song, “River”, and as the images of the departed played across the screens from Cloris Leachman to Cicely Tyson, to Ed Asner to Michael K. Williams, and more, it was clear that several of the major late daytime soap stars were not included in the on-air tribute as well as other omissions.

Now granted, we know they will all be a part of next year’s 49th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in-memoriam segment, but still these actors were a part of this community and not only appeared on the soaps, but other shows as well.

Those that daytime fans noticed were not included were: Michael Nader (Ex-Dex Dexter and Dimitri Marick, Dynasty and All My Children) Stuart Damon (Ex-Alan Quartermaine, General Hospital), Ray MacDonnell (Ex-Joe Martin, All My Children) and Jay Pickett (Ex-Frank Scanlon, Port Charles).

From primetime MIA action were: Michael Constantine (Ex-Room 222), Tanya Roberts (Ex-Charlie’s Angeles), Director, Richard Donner, writer Larry McMurty, and DMX, to name but a few.

However, the Television Academy did list all of its members who died on their website in the In-Memoriam section, because due to time constraints, they could not possibly showcase everyone.

What do you feel about the omissions of Nader, Damon, MacDonnell, Pickett, and more from the In-Memoriam tribute? Let us know in the comment section, but first watch the segment.

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Damon’s primetime Prince Charming notwithstanding, as these are the primetime Emmy awards, arguments could be made for Constantine and Nader. Otherwise, the main issue with the In Memoriam section was too much focus on the musicians and not enough focus on the screen caps of the deceased.

No major controversy here.

Just as the Emmys, Daytime Emmys, Oscars, and other such award shows are, in essence, popularity contests and “buzz-fests,” that mentality often extends into their In-Memoriam segments as well as (frequently) the nominees/winners. Despite the strides made by soaps as an entertainment genre over the decades, culminating in the unprecedented (and never to be seen again) heights of popularity and buzz for GH’s Luke and Laura phenomenon, daytime TV has always been, and will always be, considered a second-class citizen. The fact that there are only four such soaps on the air clearly adds to their perceived irrelevance. I have felt (and stated in these pages) that the soap categories in the Daytime Emmys are virtually impotent and meaningless as the population base for the genre is, again, just four soaps.

A case can be made for the four actors featured in this story to be included in any such In-Memoriam tribute, partly because, as mentioned, some had made forays into primetime, primarily Michael Nader (Dynasty) and Stuart Damon (Cinderella). And Ray McDonnell spent decades on AMC, as did Damon at GH, but the Emmy braintrust didn’t seem to notice or care.

Just like high school has its two-tiered system of popular kids and unpopular ones (often nerds and objects of bullying), so it is with entertainment television. Now, however, there is another distinction: primetime network TV has become irrelevant in the eyes of Emmy voters, in favor of outlets, such as HBO, NetFlix, Apple, Showtime, etc. There continues to be a dearth of nominations for network TV shows and its stars. Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: SVU continues to turn in outstanding work year after year, but she and her show have been ignored by Emmy voters for quite a few years. I put her acting talent against anyone acting today and in recent years. (She WAS nominated 8 times and won once. So there’s that….)

Sadly, the disrespect continues…

Jamesj75, I agree with EVERYTHING you wrote brilliantly. Emmys are nice for the recipient but I don’t respect them anymore. Mariska is a prime example. What about excellent Kelli Giddish as the complex, heroic Amanda Rollins on SVU… never even nominated! Or the magnificent Kelly Bishop, passed over SEVEN SEASONS as the divine Emily on GILMORE GIRLS? Ridiculous. Meanwhile, every year it’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Shalhoub, Alex Boorstein, and others winning OVER AND OVER again. Years ago, Candice Bergen had the class to not put her name forward after several wins. My mother puts it best: “He/She just has to show up on the set to get nominated!” And when Chadwick Boseman passed, he got far more coverage than the legendary Olivia de Havilland, Neil Simon, or Kirk Douglas the same year. You bet it’s political. At least the Oscars has gotten it right lately (Rami Malek, Renee Zellweger, Daniel Kaluuya). Always great to see you in print, James!

Soaphound, what a day brightener your reply is! I am thrilled that you saw fit to reply to my somewhat lengthy, somewhat tangential rant. Always good to see your remarks here as well! Glad you like Mariska, too; and you’re right about Kelli Giddish and Kelly Bishop — all amazing actresses.

You’re right about the same actors/actresses winning year after year, in lieu of some spectacular, yet overlooked performers. It’s happened over decades. I got tired of seeing John Larroquette (Night Court) win every year. Same with some daytime actors. I also agree with you about the coverage in these segments of certain actors over others. Your term, “political,” is right. On a plus note, I also liked the recent Oscar winners you mentioned.

I realize that all of this is subjective, and tastes vary, but we can see the trends…

Take care, Friend!

That’s OK, we the daytime fans will always remember them with love and appreciation of their fine talents.

Actually, I did see Stuart Damon on the written list at the Creative Arts Emmys, but apparently the main show would rather waste time with unfunny comic bits and silly banter. It was always thus.

The argument could be made that the Daytime Emmy also excludes performers that haven’t worked in Daytime, it is what it is. Is there still stigma? I don’t hear it as bad as it use to be, especially now where there’s all this platforms for actors, and at the end of the day, they are actors, producers, writers and directors and creative people in the Entertainment Business. Actors are Actors first, they are not Soap, Sitcom, Prime time or streaming Actors. They are just Actors, ok said enough. and I agree with what I read below that now this in memoriam are more about whose singing then whose Pass away, I wish they would just play some beautiful song and just show us whose gone then we having to “see” the performer of the tribute.

Perhaps one way to deal with the length of the segment and the risk of oversight is to simply list only those individuals who had received Emmy nominations or honorary Emmys during their lifetime in the on-air “In Memoriam” segment. A longer list could be on the Academy website.

more people know the actors than the PR people or writers, even Jean Smarts husband was there and he was really just a bit player/guest star on shows he was on. skipping Tanya Roberts, Michael Constantine, and our soap guys (maybe minus Jay Picket, no offense) was really bad.

All My Children

51st Daytime Emmys: Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa Receive Talk Show Host Nominations

On Thursday, nominations were announced in the Outstanding Talk Show category for the upcoming 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards. 

Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo, All My Children) coming off his first-year as co-host of ‘Live” with real-life wife, Kelly Ripa scored his first Talk Show Host nomination along with Ripa who has been nominated previous times.

Joining Mark and Kelly in the race are: Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, Sheryl Underwood, The Talk and
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall.

Photo: CBS

As previously reported, The Talk is coming to its end when its upcoming 15th and final season ends in December of 2024.

The 51st annual Daytime Emmys are slated to be broadcast and stream live on CBS and Paramount+ on Friday night, June 7th

Look for the full list of nominations to drop on Friday morning at 12 noon ET/9 am PT.

So, are you rooting for Kelly and Mark to win their first Talk Show host award together? Comment below.

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All My Children

Mark Consuelos Celebrates One-Year Anniversary as Co-Host of ‘Live’ Alongside Kelly Ripa

Today, April 17th marks a full-year since Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo, All My Children) took over the co-hosting duties of ‘Live” alongside his wife, and longtime co-host, Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley, All My Children).

Consuelos replaced Ryan Seacrest who are six seasons decided to be back on the west coast full-time. For Consuelos, now having the opportunity to work off of Ripa as co-hosts has been something of adjustment for him, but viewers have been eating it up.

Live with Kelly and Mark has remained the No. 1 entertainment talk show on television over the past year, growing 3% in average total viewers to 2.23M per episode.  It is also the most-watched daytime talk show in the last year in key demos of women 18-49 and women 25-54. All of this, since the real-life marrieds teamed-up.

Photo: ABC

Speaking with Deadline, Kelly Ripa shared why the two are gelling on-screen, “I do think that there is something very possibly relatable about our relationship. We have disagreements like a normal couple, and we’re not afraid to let them unfold on the air and in front of America, and I think people find a lot of themselves in that.”

Mark weighed in how he has progressed as a host, and what he could improve at, sharing, “I’d like to get better at my interviewing skills. I’d like to get better at reading a teleprompter…I think I’m getting better at throwing to commercial. The other day in the middle of the show as we go to commercial, my sign off was ‘See you guys around.’ I mean, the show wasn’t over. The most obvious thing to say would be, ‘We’ll be back right after this.’ But I just said, ‘See you around.’ So we went to commercial and one of the producers (goes) ‘What was that?’ I don’t know… So for the next few sign offs, as a joke, I’d say ‘See you around.’ We got a kick out of it.”

Photo: ABC

Meanwhile, Kelly has given huge props to Mark, “I find Mark utterly compelling, really interesting, super funny, and he’s bold in a way like nobody else. He says what’s on his mind. If he’s thinking it, he says it.  I’ve done this a long time and oftentimes people will adjust their natural personalities to pander to what they think the audience wants to hear, and Mark will tell people what he thinks, and he doesn’t care if it’s not a popular opinion. It gives him an edginess that I think is really missing in the landscape today. Everybody’s so afraid to say anything, and Mark is unafraid to say exactly what he’s thinking.”

In a statement, Debra O’Connell, President News Group and Networks, Disney Entertainment shared, We could not be more thrilled with how Mark has seamlessly joined the show family as permanent co-host. His undeniable charisma and his and Kelly’s natural chemistry are evident as they deliver the laughs and smiles to our viewers each morning. We are incredibly proud of how Live has continued to evolve and that the audience is responding so enthusiastically.”

So, do you think Mark Consuelos is the best co-host his wife Kelly Ripa has ever had on ‘Live’? How would you say he is doing as co-host after one full year on the job? Comment below.

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All My Children

Susan Lucci Joins the Cast of Jonah Hill’s Movie ‘Outcome’

Look who will be part of the ensemble cast in motion picture and film star Jonah Hill’s new film project! That’s right, none other than Susan Lucci (ex-Erica, All My Children).

According to Deadline, the daytime television icon joins other notables including Laverne Cox and David Spade who have been added to the cast of Outcome. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Matt Bomer (ex-Ben, Guiding Light) and Cameron Diaz.

In Outcome, which is written by, and will be directed by Hill, the dark comedy centers around Reef (played by Reeves), a damaged Hollywood star who must dive into the dark depths of his past to confront his demons and make amends after he is extorted with a mysterious video clip from his past.

Photo: JPI

Soap fans know that following her iconic run as All My Children’s Erica Kane, Susan went on to be featured in Lifetime’s Devious Maids in the role of Genevieve Delatour.  Since her Pine Valley days ended (when AMC was canceled in 2012), Susan has appeared in numerous shows and made numerous appearances.  n December of 2023, Lucci was awarded the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Photo: JPI

Outcome will debut on Apple and is an Apple Studios production. The film marks the latest collaboration for Hill and Apple Original Films, who are also developing a Grateful Dead biopic with Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions, to be directed by Scorsese, with Hill starring in it and as one of the producers of the project, as well.

So, intrigued to see what kind of role Susan plays in Jonah Hill’s new film ‘Outcome’? Comment below.

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