All My Children
The Best and Worst in Soaps 2008!
Its time to look back at the past soap season and honor, “The Best and Worst in Soaps 2008”. Eligibility period is air shows and episodes from December 27, 2007 through December 27, 2008. In some categories there are runner-ups and in others there are not. In those cases. in categories where runner-ups appear they are not listed in a ranked order.
In a year fraught with so much controversary, so much negativity, and where at times the industry seemed to implode on itself, there still were plenty of remarkable and creative moments and plenty of moments and efforts that fell flat. In the end, here’s who was left standing to take a bow as we ring in the new year.
Make sure to listen to the audio player below to hear Michael live last night on “Stardish Radio” where many of these awards were first announced.
Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps picks
Best Actress of the year
Susan Haskell, “OLTL”
Runner-ups:
Kimberly McCullough, “GH”
Jeanne Cooper, “Y&R”
Melody Thomas Scott, “Y&R”
Elizabeth Hubbard, “ATWT”
Erika Slezak, “OLTL”
Kathy Brier, “OLTL”
Best Actor of the year
Trevor St. John, “OLTL”
Runner-ups:
Tristan
Rogers, “GH: Night Shift”
Jason Thompson, “GH”
Eric Braeden, “Y&R”
Tyler Christopher, “GH”
Michael Easton, “OLTL”
Most Underated Actor
Joshua Morrow, “Y&R”
Most Underated Actress
Carolyn Hennesy, ”GH”
Best single performance in a storyline/Moment of the year, Male
Christian LeBlanc, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Y&R”
Best single performance by a
duo in a storyline
John-Paul Lavoisier and Robert Woods – 40th Anniversary Rex and Bo first episode in 1968, “OLTL”
Runner-up:
Victor and Nikki in Mexican bar fight over their demolished relationship, “Y&R”
Best Single performance
in a storyline/Moment of
the year, female
Erika Slezak – Viki visits Victor in his mausoleum and then tells Charlie she
was sexually abused by her father, “OLTL”
Most irritating soap character
Eden on “Y&R”
Runner-ups:
Tess, “OLTL”
Melanie, “DAYS”
Lulu, “GH”
Claudia, “GH”
Jerry Jaks, “GH”
Sharon, “Y&R”
Ephinany, “GH”
Anna, “Y&R”
Worst performance by an Actor
Frank Parker, “DAYS”
Runner-ups:
Mario Von Peeples and Walt Willey “AMC”
Worst performance by an Actress
(TIE)
Levin Rambin (Ava) “AMC”
Tala Ashe (Ameera) “ATWT”
Worst Soap
“DAYS”
Best Soap
“OLTL”
Runner-ups:
“Y&R”
“GH: Night Shift “
Worst Written soap
“DAYS”
Best Written soap
“OLTL”
Best Breaking News story in the
soap world
Lynn Marie Latham clears out her desk
and Josh Griffith is fired paving
the way for “The Dream Team”, Paul
Rauch, Maria Arena Bell and Hogan
Sheffer, to restore “Y&R” to its glory.
Worst Breaking News story in the
soap world
Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn are fired from “DAYS”, as Marlena and John, thus setting off a mainstream press frenzy about the declining state of soaps.
Best Couple
Patrick and Robin, “GH”
Worst Couple
Parker and
Liberty, “ATWT “
Runner-ups:
Paul and Meg, “ATWT”
Lucas and Chloe, “DAYS”
Victor and Sabrina, “Y&R”
Jared and Natalie, “OLTL”
Best Storyline
(TIE)
Sudden Impact, “Y&R”
Todd/Marty controversial pairing and fallout, “OLTL”
Worst Storyline
Jim Min Kim Murder, “Y&R”
Runner-ups:
Mendorra, “OLTL”
River and the ashram, “Y&R”
Lizzie’s kidnapping, “GL”
The Text Message Killer, “GH”
Robin video blogging about her
pregnancy, “GH”
Alison Perkins secret to tell Jessica that never was revealed “OLTL”
Noah marries Amera to keep her in the
country so she does not have to go back
to
Iraq, which breaks up Luke and Noah
in the middle of their romance… only to
have the storyline tank and having her
leave Oakdale, “ATWT”
Best comeback
Debbi Morgan, “AMC”
Runner-up:
Arianne Zuker, “DAYS”
Worst comeback
Darnell Williams, “AMC”
Runner-ups:
Genie Francis, “GH”
Andrea Evans, “OLTL”
Best Recast
Jeff Branson, “AMC”
Runner-ups:
Eric Martsolf, “DAYS”
Billy Miller, “Y&R”
Chris Stack, “OLTL”
Worst Recast
Briane Moncrief (Colby) “AMC”
Worst decision made by an
executive producer of a Soap
“ATWT”s” Chris Goutman for letting
Martha Bryne walk and not doing
everything in his power to woo her
back to the show.
Best decision made by an executive
producer of a soap
“OLTL’s”, Frank Valentini realizing that Christina Chambers did not work as Marty and doing everything in his power to bring back Daytime Award winner Susan
Haskell, to the role.
Runner-ups:
“DAYS”, Ken Cordy for killing off Pop Brady.
“GL’s” Ellen Wheeler for adjusting the camera shots and angles in the new production module, so they are not so close in the actors faces, which originally rendered beautiful people unwatchable.
Best Special Episode
Eileen Herlie Tribute ,“AMC”
Runner-up:
40th Anniversary episode- Viki goes back to heaven, “OLTL”
Biggest waste of talent
Robert Woods, “OLTL”
Runner-ups:
Nia Peeples, “Y&R”
Nancy Lee Grahn, “GH”
Ellen Dolan. “ATWT”
Best use of special effects
The helicopter ride in Angie and Jessie’s wedding, “AMC”
Worst use of special effects
Tornados ripping through
Pine Valley and having the characters look like cardboard cutouts against or within the CGI effects. “AMC”
Best New Actor
Mark Lawson, “OLTL”
Best actress in a new role on another soap
Elizabeth Hendrickson, “Y&R”
Runner-up:
Tamara Braun, “AMC”
Best actor in a new role on another soaps
Galen Gering, “DAYS”
Worst new characters
Vanessa Montez & Lola Montez, “OLTL”
Runner-up:
Marcus Walton, “B&B”
Petey Courtland, “AMC”
Worst Character
Grady, “GL”
Runner-up:
Ameera, “ATWT”
ADDITIONAL CATEGORIES!
Character that we originally hated
in 2008, and then fell in love with
by the end of the year.
Kate Howard AKA Connie Falconari from Bensonhurst, “GH”
Character that we originally liked in 2008, and then hated in the end.
Adam Wilson ,“Y&R”
Shocking Plot Twist
Coop and Beth having a secret affair on “GL”
Sluttiest Male Character
(TIE)
Nick, “B&B”
Dr. Daniel, “DAYS”
Sluttiest Female Character
Alison, “ATWT”
Runner-ups:
Amanda, “AMC”
Tess, “OLTL”
Best Guest Performances
Tuc Watkins, “OLTL” -Male
Finola Hughes, “GH” – Fenale
Best Performance by a soap veteran who never gets a story
Peggy McKay, “DAYS”
Worst Business or corporate
storyline of the Year
Restless Style, ” Y&R”
Best Actress who has too much
material to juggle and makes
it all look good
Kim Zimmer, “GL”
Best Actress of another species:
Tallulah- “David Vickers, The Dog”, “OLTL”
Best ‘Goody-Two Shoes’ character
showing a backbone.
Luke Snyder, “ATWT”
Best Socially Concious Effort
(TIE)
Iraqi Vet, “AMC”
Starr’s Pregnancy, “OLTL”
Alan Dysert, who played Sean Cudahy on ABC’s All My Children has died. He was 75-years-old. The news of his passing came from his wife Michele who shared via a Facebook post that Dysert died back on October 23.
“My heart is broken as I share that my beloved husband, Alan, passed away on October 23, 2026. While I am struggling to imagine life without him, I am forever grateful to have experienced what so many people spend their lives searching for — the love of a lifetime,” Michele expressed.
While a cause of death was not made public at this time, Michele admitted that Alan, “faced more than his share of health challenges over the years, yet he continued to approach life with determination, humor, and gratitude.”
Photo: ABC
Dysert wrote about his battle with a rare, aggressive and incurable cancer in his 2023 autobiography, Lights, Camera, Cancer! He spoke of having undergone four major cancer-related surgeries, and many rounds of chemotherapy and CT scans.
SEAN CUDAHY WAS ‘BAD GUY’ PERSONFIED
On All My Children, Dysert played Sean Cudahy, the con man villain to his brother, good guy, Tom Cudahy played by Richard Shoberg. Dysert played the role between 1980 and 1990 returning for multiple story arcs, which included being revealed to be the murderer of Sybil Thorne. He was also involved in several affairs including with the impressionable Devon McFadden (Tricia Pursley).
THE LIVES HE TOUCHED
Alan’s longtime agent Melinda Eisnagule told PEOPLE his death is a “loss to our community and to the acting community at large. He touched so many lives and made the industry and the world a better place every day with his positive energy and kindness.”
Dysert leaves behind his wife, Michele and his two sons Cody and Cooper and will be remembered by those who knew him for a career that spanned the theatre, film, TV and performance coaching, and of course being a part of the legacy of All My Children.
Share your remembrances and condolences on the passing of Alan Dysert, All My Children’s Sean Cudahy, via the comment section below.
All My Children
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
On the Friday, October 2 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, the morning talk show marked the 56th birthday of Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley Vaughan Santos, All My Children).
During the opening segment, Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo Santos, All My Children) humorously comparing his wife to both Gandhi and Groucho Marx, reflecting on both her comedic ability and peaceful ways.
Later, they went on to discuss the origins of her name and the most popular picks to name babies back in the year she was born, 1970. They were Kimberly, Lisa, and Jennifer for girls and Michael, David, and James for the boys.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Ripa recalled that she learned she was almost named Kim. However, their neighbors at the time had two daughters Kelly and Kim, which is what her parents wanted to call them, but they settled on Kelly and and her younger sister, Linda.
At the conclusion of the episode, Mark rolled out a huge cake for his wife. It was, “Happy birthday from all of us here at Live and at home.” Next, he cut the cake, and Ripa grabbed his face and gave him a “thank you” kiss.
Photo: JPI
KELLY AND MARK TRIED TO KEEP THEIR VEGAS WEDDING ON THE DOWN LOW
All of this brings back memories of how Kelly and Mark’s Las Vegas wedding ceremony went public in 1996 while the two were still on All My Children playing Mateo Santos and Hayley Vaughan. In essence, they were outed by then radio host Wendy Williams! They discussed it on the talk show back in 2024.
In fact, the duo hid their marriage from their All My Children castmates for months, until they found out Williams got wind of the nuptials and spread the intel on the airwaves.
The two recalled their secret wedding on a 2024 episode of Live! “We’d eloped. It’d been a few months at that point. We’d been married for three months, nobody at All My Children knew we were even dating, much less married to each other. We’re brushing our teeth and we’ve got Wendy Williams’ radio show on. We’re listening, and she’s like, ‘I’ve got celebrity dish!”
EYEWITNESS
Next Ripa continued, “The celebrities,’ I guess they had a broad use of the term back then, was the fact that ‘two soap stars from All My Children, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos eloped in Las Vegas.’ There was this eyewitness that worked in the Clark County courthouse that said we eloped, and the news broke, and we had to tell everybody we were married.”
Live With Kelly and Mark airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings for times in your area.
Share your birthday wishes for Kelly in the comment section, and let us know your thoughts on how Wendy Williams broadcast the news, unbeknownst to the All My Children newlyweds, that they tied the knot in Vegas? Check out Mark and the ‘Live’ studio audience singing ‘happy birthday’ to Kelly in the post below.
View this post on Instagram
All My Children
‘All My Children’ Movie Writers for Lifetime Revealed: Ron Carlivati, Jamey Giddens and Leo Richardson
This week began and as reported with a spotlight article on Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos and how their production entity, Milojo, has been teeing up the All My Children reboot with Lifetime.
The L.A. Times featured the married couple, co-hosts of Live with Kelly and Mark, and former All My Children cast members (where they met and fell in love) about their plans to bring two All My Children movies to Lifetime and how they are working with the Agnes Nixon estate to make it come to fruition,
On Wednesday, it was revealed by Daytime Confidential, that All My Children reboot producer, Andrew Stearn handpicked none other than Ron Carlivati (ex-head writer, One Life to Live, General Hospital and Days of our Lives) and Jamey Giddens (who is the new co-head writer of The Young and the Restless, following his tenures on the writing teams of Beyond the Gates and Days of Our Lives), as the two scribes who will bring the first of two of Kelly and Mark’s All My Children movies to the page.
Photo: IMDb
RON CARLIVATI AND JAMEY GIDDENS CONFIRM THEIR BOARDING THE ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIE PROJECT
The second installment is said to be written by primetime writer Leo Richardson whose credits include: Star, Katy Keene and more recently the Penn Badgley (ex-Phillip Chancellor IV, The Young and the Restless) starring series, You.
Richardson also wrote for three years on the U.K.’s long-running soap, EastEnders. All My Children revival fans will recall Richardson’s name was attached as the writer for the first incarnation of the All My Children movies, entitled, Pine Valley.
Ron Carlivati took to X and confirmed he is indeed boarding the All My Children movie project. Carlivati shared, “So excited to share this news! Thanks to Andrew Stearn, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, Albert Bianchini and the Agnes Nixon estate for entrusting Jamey Giddens and me with the first of two planned All My Children movies for Lifetime! Stay tuned!”
Photo: Jeremy Smith/imageSPACE
Jamey Giddens confirmed DC’s announcement by taking to his account on X and expressing, “I’ve been booked and busy in 2026. Thanks to Andrew Stearn, the Agnes Nixon estate, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos for entrusting Ron Carlivati, and me with the first of two planned All My Children movies for Lifetime!”
Some fans seemed to question how Giddens could be writing for the first All My Children movie at Lifetime, when he is the new co-head writer at The Young and the Restless with Dan O’Connor. Jamey answered that head on via X and explained, “We turned in our All My Children script months ago. My sole focus as of this past Monday, is Genoa City, Wisconsin! #YR”
ERICA KANE, MARIA SANTOS AND HAYLEY AND MATEO SANTOS TO APPEAR IN THE ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIE REVIVAL?
In the planned stories, Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane and Eva LaRue’s Maria Santos will be two characters whose lives we will get to see for the first time since the series was canceled by ABC back in 2011 after 41 years on the air. As well, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos confirmed they will make brief appearances on-screen; one could assume as Hayley and Mateo Santos.
“It’d be wonderful to give the fans something that they’ve been yearning for so many years,” shared Mark Consuelos to the LA Times. “All My Children gave me my family. I met my wife there. It gave me my start in the business. It gave us so much. It would be a dream to be able to give back.”
So, what do you think of Ron Carlivati and Jamey Giddens getting nod to write the All My Children movie #1 script and Leo Richardson #2? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Preview: ‘Miss Beehavin’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Will Ava Tie the Knot With Drew?
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Tamara Tunie On Bittersweet Emmy Win Without Scott Bryce: ‘I Only Wish He Had Been Here a Little Longer to Share This With Me’
‘The Bachelor’ Names NFL Quarterback Sam Hartman as Lead for Season 30
‘One Life to Live’ and ‘General Hospital’ Actress Bree Williamson Mourns the Loss of Husband Michael John Roberts
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Preview: ‘Miss Beehavin’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Will Ava Tie the Knot With Drew?
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Tamara Tunie On Bittersweet Emmy Win Without Scott Bryce: ‘I Only Wish He Had Been Here a Little Longer to Share This With Me’
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
-
General Hospital6 days ago‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
-
News6 days agoY&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
-
Previews7 days agoTHE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
-
Days Of Our Lives1 week ago‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
-
Days Of Our Lives7 days ago‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
-
General Hospital1 week agoGENERAL HOSPITAL: Tracy Leaves Port Charles to Help Dillon; Paving the Way for Jane Elliot’s Temporary Exit
-
News1 week agoB&B’s Lawrence Saint-Victor to Guest Star on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
-
Interviews4 days agoB&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
