THE HEATHER TOM INTERVIEW – THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

Published

18 years ago

May 27, 2008

Michael

By Michael Fairman

Listen to the audio:

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TV SOAP:
Were you surprised at your nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress?

HEATHER:
I was very surprised. I really wasn’t expecting to be nominated this year. I had some good material towards the end of the year. I am excited, and I think it will be a really fun night, and I was grateful for the nomination.

TV SOAP:
What scenes did you submit for Emmy judging?

HEATHER:
I had scenes in the jail cell with Patrick Duffy (Ex-Stephen), where I say to him, “I am sorry for accusing you of shooting Stephanie.” And the other scene was from the show before that, when Katie was very emotional with her dad.

TV SOAP:
You have been nominated many times!

HEATHER:
A lot! This is my 12th nomination, which is fun. But, I have only won twice. So, I have lost a whole lot. (She laughs)

TV SOAP:
How did you decide, or settle on what tapes or performances to submit?

HEATHER:
I think it was not terribly difficult for me this year, because I knew the one show with Patrick would be the tape I would submit. It was just the two of us in a room.   I thought it was well written and I loved working with him. I thought it was some of the best work I had done. The other show was more difficult, because the story was not about my character. So, I was part of it, but more supporting. But, as we all know, being in the supporting category does not mean anything. (She laughs) I had three scenes at the top of the show, and in the rest of it I was in the background. I thought it was kind of deadly.

TV SOAP:
So much has been written and rumored about this year, that many judges did not bother to watch all the DVD of the performances of the pre-nominated actors and actresses, and that it was a popularity vote.

HEATHER:
My feeling about it is: if people get the DVD’s in their homes and they are watching them, I don’t know how much I buy into the whole popularity thing. Also, I don’t know how anybody is going to sit through some of this. I was on the Emmy committee in New York, and was a big advocate with doing away with the two-show reel. I think you should be able to pick scenes from any show and show a range of the work one does over the past year. You are supposed to be judged on what you did over the whole year.   I have four scenes on my tape where I don’t do anything. So, I thought I did not have a chance in hell! (She laughs)

TV SOAP:
Were you judging an acting category this year?

HEATHER:
I volunteered to judge and wanted to judge, but I was told I was not needed. Well, what does that mean? I thought OK, they picked someone else to judge a category that may or may not have the same sensibility. I don’t know if there is a perfect system, and trying to find out what’s fair. I sat on the committee before. I have a big mouth, and I like to put my two-cents in, and they patted me on the head.   But hey, I don’t have the biggest track record with winning an Emmy, so you may not want to listen to me. (She laughs)

TV SOAP:
Where were you when you found out you were nominated?

HEATHER:
I actually was on a hike with my dogs, and did not have my phone on. I did not find out until I walked into the make-up room at “B&B,” and everybody was saying “Congratulations”.

TV SOAP:
What do you think of the other gals nominated in your category?

HEATHER:
I have to be honest. I thought from “B&B”, Jennifer Gareis’s (Donna) work this year and last year has been great. It’s the best work I have ever seen her do. I look at Gina Tognoni (Dinah, “GL”) and I think she is a fantastic actress.   I think every time she works she is great. I look at Tracey Bregman (Lauren, “Y&R), and she has a great body of work.   Every year there is someone who gets robbed of a nomination, too.

TV SOAP:
Now the rules have changed this year. There is no second round of voting and no second round of having to submit other episodes of your work. The winner is already known, correct?

HEATHER:
That’s right!   Now, you submit your shows and the winner is already figured out.   So, the person with the highest votes was already established as the winner and will be announced on June 20th.

TV SOAP:
Now, let’s talk about the tragic heart transplant story of your character, Katie, and the suicide of her brother, Storm. Did you have any idea this was coming up?

HEATHER:
I had no idea. William deVry (Ex-Storm) told me it was going to happen.   Honestly, I was very afraid of this story. At the same time, I said I was going to trust Brad, and it is going to be written in a certain way. They are going to have two very strong viewpoints on the suicide situation. I think they did a really good job with that.

TV SOAP:
So, your biggest concern is the topic of suicide and justifying it to help someone you love?

HEATHER:
The suicide part was my biggest concern, because it was not like he just died. He committed suicide. I think it’s a tough topic to deal with, and to deal with it in a responsible way. I actually think the thing I’m most proud about is that they have given these characters very strong viewpoints on the subject. The Donna character thinks it’s a gift and a sacrifice. That’s within her character, and still a valid point of view. And the fact that the Katie character would say, “I don’t know how anyone can call anyone a hero for doing this to themselves!” That’s very much in her character.   I think they have made it so there are defensible viewpoints, because you don’t know how you would react to something as horrific as this. There is nothing pretty or happy about something like this.

TV SOAP:
Another part of the issue is, that sometimes people feel suicide is their only answer.

HEATHER:
One of my girlfriends’ brother committed suicide, and you are never really the same after that.   I think at “B&B” it’s a little different, because Katie and Storm had more of a father/daughter relationship than a sibling relationship. Perhaps it could be justified that a father might consider doing this for his child. The biggest thing I wanted was to make sure this was not something that we glorified.   I think making it a martyr-type situation is a dangerous place to go. I am glad they gave Katie a strong angle; “Not only are you alive, but you caused the situation and your brother killed himself because of you.”   I ‘m glad she is going to have a very tough time with it.   Normally, I can go home and shake a story off and live my life, but I would come home from these days of taping and just go to bed. Back to Katie, I think it is changing her. I think they have allowed that to be played, and it allowed it to be ugly and unresolved. The story does not get tied up with a neat little bow. I think that’s kind of nice and interesting. Hopefully, people want to watch it.

TV SOAP:
What did you think about the sudden departure or firing (as rumored) of William deVry?

HEATHER:
I don’t think it had anything to do with William, whatsoever. It was storyline-dictated, and I hate losing someone like him, because he was very talented. He brought a lot to the show. I can’t second-guess why they do what they do. I think people were upset and people talked to Brad Bell (exec. prod. and head writer, “B&B”) about it. I think Brad had an idea of what he wanted to do, and how he wanted to play this story. He wanted it to be somewhat controversial. This was the most difficult storyline I have had to play, and for me, that’s saying something! (She laughs) It was very difficult, but we all knew as the actors, we had to step up to the plate, and we have.   I think Katherine Kelly Lang’s (Brooke) work has been gorgeous!   I think everyone did an amazing job, from the way it was directed and lighted, and with the special effects.

TV SOAP:
What do you think is next for Katie? Heating up a love triangle?

HEATHER:
Honestly, there is a lot going on. They are playing out the Nick/Bridget/Katie triangle.

TV SOAP:
Do you think the relationship will work out in her favor?

HEATHER:
I love working with both of those actors… Jack Wagner (Nick) and Ashley Jones (Bridget).   I have an interesting chemistry with Ashley as two females on the show, and I think it’s an interesting dynamic with the three of us. So, I like the way they are going with it. I am waiting to see how they are going to develop it. I think with Katie’s new heart, I would like to see more spontaneity from her. She always holds herself back.   She is always guarded and very careful, and very pragmatic. Maybe this is the opportunity for her to jump in and be more impulsive. Getting the new heart somehow gives her a new lease on life, but it’s a process.   It’s not going to happen over night. She thinks, “I have this one life and what am I going to do with it?”

TV SOAP:
You have been busy working to support US Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

HEATHER:
I have been on the road for Hilary Clinton and have been campaigning for her in Texas, California, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. I am very optimistic. I believe the best democratic nominee is Hilary Clinton. I am a Democrat and I will vote for that candidate, but experience matters to me. With the mess that we have here in the US, we need someone who can get things done and who understands how the system works.   I don’t want someone who is on a learning curve. I think Barack is a great speaker and very smart. One day he will make a great President, but I think not now.

TV SOAP:
You always have one of the most beautiful dresses on the red carpet at the Emmys.
What is the process you go through to decide on the chosen “one”?

HEATHER:
I am actually flying right now to New York to meet with someone to select my Emmy dress. I have a woman in New York who helped me out last year. She goes to all the fashion shows and picks out all the couture dresses, and has them on loan. I will see a variety of designer dresses before making my final choice.

Related Topics:Heather Tom Interview Podcast The Bold and the Beautiful

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‘The Young and the Restless’ Eric Braeden Talks Daytime Emmy Nomination, State of Nikki and Victor’s Marriage, and His Co-Stars (Exclusive)

Published

4 days ago

July 30, 2026

Michael

Eric Braeden has been playing Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for 46 years. The iconic star of the #1 rated daytime drama series has thus far won once for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series back in 1998 in a ceremony he did not attend. Fast-forward to 2026 and the 85-year-old Braeden is once again nominated in the category for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Earlier this month, Eric, along with 4 other actors learned they were going for gold at the ceremonies on October 30. In a twist of fate, fellow co-star and also Lead Actor nominee, Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R) and Braeden submitted the same scenes which centered around Victor firing his longtime attorney and friend, Michael Baldwin.

In a new interview, now on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Braeden shares: his thoughts on the nomination, if he will attend daytime’s biggest night of the year, what he thinks will happen with the current cracks within the relationship of Y&R’s Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and Victor, his reaction to the heartbreaking scene where Nick (Joshua Morrow) admits to Victor that he has a drug addiction, and much more.

Photo: JPI

VICTOR NEWMAN AND MICHAEL BALDWIN EMMY SCENES

On his Lead Actor Emmy-nominated reel, Eric recalled, “The show submitted it for me and I said, ‘Yeah, go ahead.’ Had I known Christian was part of it, I would’ve said, ‘No!’ I’m kidding. It’s difficult to do a scene with Christian without beginning to laugh in the middle of it. Anyway, he’s wonderful to work with and he did a wonderful job, and I’m grateful for the nomination.”

Braeden also shared plans for attending this year’s Daytime Emmys with his granddaughter making it all the more special, “I will go this year. You know why? It’s an honor first of all, and secondly, my granddaughter, when she heard about it, she says, ‘Opa, can I go? I already know what dress I would buy.’ I mean, it was so sweet. But you bet. Now, I’ll really go to the Emmys!”

Photo: JPI

CAN NIKKI AND VICTOR’S MARRIAGE SURVIVE?

Over the past year, Nikki and Victor’s marriage has been on shaky ground, especially after Victor caught his nemesis, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) alone in a hotel room with his wife. Nikki went on a bender and Jack was her AA sponsor, but in order to help her, he almost OD’d himself. Victor believes the two hit the sheets.

Now in 2026, Victor was there after Nikki woke up after surgery to save her eyesight, and she has yet to see post-procedure. However, Braeden notes ‘not so fast’ on a reconciliation.

“I would say it will be a rocky road, because you don’t get over these things so quickly. You don’t,” teased Eric. “It’s jealousy and it’s a very, very deep emotion, and every time there’s something that reminds Victor of that incident, he will feel that emotion. It’s an emotion that is not taken seriously enough by people. Relationships are very difficult because of that sometimes.”

Photo: CBS

JOSHUA MORROW DOING THE FINEST WORK OF HIS CAREER

Back in March of this year, in one of the most unforgettable in this, or any soap season, Nick Newman accompanied by his brother Adam (Mark Grossman), came to see Victor where Nick admitted he now has a drug addiction to fentanyl and how he is so ashamed of himself. In the scene, Victor goes to comfort his son, calling him, “My boy” while broken-hearted.

Eric recalled the taping of the scene: “It touched me deeply and it was one of those moments that a father and son don’t want. They’re horrified by that. I think Joshua made an enormous leap in acting in that scene. He showed what he is capable of. It was a very, very touching scene. We had some scenes after that, again, about the same thing. Now, there’s a whole deeper connection between father and son. Any father would almost have a breakdown knowing that his son is on drugs or his daughter. It was a very well-written scene.”

Photo: JPI

ERIC BRAEDEN AND MICHELLE STAFFORD MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

The Young and the Restless led the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Nominations with 18, more than any other series or programs. One of the nominations belongs to Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) who nabbed another Lead Actress nod.

Recently, Eric and Michelle have shared much screen-time since Phyllis took Victor’s company from him. During the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live!, Stafford she loved working opposite Eric in the storyline, to which Eric has now responded.

“It’s mutual because I love watching her work,” exclaimed the TV icon. “I just don’t know what she’s going to do in a scene and I love spontaneous moments. I don’t like it to be set and adhered to. I like it to be improvised as much as possible. Michelle is just so facile, so quick, so smart as an actress. She’s wonderful.”

Check out the full conversation with Eric below.

Now weigh-in: are you happy to see Eric receive a Lead Actor nomination? Do you think Nikki and Victor will continue to have issues in their marriage? Did you like the scenes with Michelle Stafford and Eric, and of course the hankie-inducing moment between Joshua Morrow and his TV dad? Weigh-in via the comment section.

Interviews

‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Scott Clifton Talks His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, and the Omission of His Scene Partner, Annika Noelle (Exclusive)

Published

1 week ago

July 25, 2026

Michael

Less than two weeks ago, The Bold and the Beautiful’s Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer) received the news he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actor category at the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Clifton delivered what may have been the best work of his career in 2025; in a heartbreaking story arc where a believed-to-be-dying Liam tries to come to terms with his fate, and what his exit from the land of the living means, and what it would do to the daughters he leaves behind, the women he’s loved, and his father.

Going into this year’s Emmy race, Scott is already a three-time Daytime Emmy winner and a record holder for being the only actor to have won in the three acting categories throughout his career: the now defunct Younger Actor, Supporting Actor and Lead Actor.

Shortly after receiving the news of his latest nomination, Scott shared his reaction and what scenes he decided to include on his now Emmy-nominated reel when he participated in the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live!

During the conversation with Scott, it was very apparent that he feels his on-screen partnership with Annika Noelle (Hope) was a key to his success in 2025, and one of the reason for a key scene he chose. However, Annika’s name was left off the nomination list which disappointed Clifton as he shared below.

Photo: JPI

HOW SCOTT CLIFTON WENT ABOUT CRAFTING HIS LEAD ACTOR REEL

“They got a lot of reels to watch. So, I just picked three scenes. It’s important to create a context so that people aren’t completely lost,” explains Clifton on his best practices strategy. “I picked the scene where Liam found out the diagnosis (about his inoperable brain mass), where Finn (Tanner Novlan) and Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) tell him which sets the stage. And then, there is a scene where Liam is saying “don’t tell anyone.”

Next, there’s the scene at Il Giardino between myself and Don Diamont (Bill) where Liam is telling his father without telling him, by saying, ‘I just want you to know how much I love you, and how grateful I am to you.'”

Then, the final scene, and I owe it all to Annika, was between Liam and Hope. This is where Hope kind of says, ‘I know,’ and then they just have a conversation about their lives and their daughter. Liam also talks about his mom. It just seemed real to me and the best way to close it out. That was it. That was the whole reel about 11 minutes long.”

Photo: JPI

ANNIKA AND SCOTT’S BITTERSWEET EMMY MOMENT

When Scott connected with his on-screen wife, Annika Noelle, following the news of his nomination, which actually came on the Monday before the full nominations were revealed on Tuesday via Extra, there were a rollercoaster of emotions.

Scott detailed, “Annika sent the most beautiful congratulations, and I was trying to figure out if they had announced her category. However, it was in the middle of that conversation that she said. ‘no.’ And then, the conversation turned into my rage for her not being recognized because that whole story was just as much hers as it was mine.”

“My, God,” Clifton continued. “The way that she had to downplay so many things and keep the secret that she knew, that I knew, that she knew. The end of that scene, I couldn’t not include it. It’s more a scene about her and how hard this is for her than it was about Liam. It blew me away that she wasn’t recognized for it this year, but she will next year.”

You can check out Scott’s segment on the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live! below at roughly the 25:46 mark into the show.

So, were you happy to hear what scenes Scott submitted that earned him a Lead Actor Daytime Emmy nomination? Do you think he’s one of the frontrunners to take home the gold when the Daytime Emmys are handed out on October 30? Do you feel as Scott does that Annika Noelle should have been a nominee for her work in 2025? Let us know via the comment section.

Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of Our Lives’ Christopher Sean Opens Up About His Daytime Emmy Nomination to Honor His Late TV Father, Drake Hogestyn (Exclusive)

Published

2 weeks ago

July 18, 2026

Michael

There was not a dry eye in the house when in June of 2025, Paul Narita (Christopher Sean) gets up to eulogize his father, John Black (Drake Hogestyn), after the iconic character passed away and his funeral brought Salem together for one last goodbye.

In real life, Drake Hogestyn had passed away of pancreatic cancer at the age of 70 back on September 28, 2024. When DAYS taped the funeral episode, Drake was still alive and had given his blessing to the series longtime executive producer, Ken Corday, that it was OK with him to kill off his character and to have a memorial. Sadly, shortly after the cast filmed the scenes, Drake died leaving a lasting legacy on DAYS that will never be matched.

Earlier this week on Tuesday, Christopher Sean received the bittersweet news that he had received a Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Guest Performer category for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards for his performances. Christopher appeared shortly after the news of his nomination on the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 were he shared his emotional reaction. Here’s part of what he expressed below.

Photo: JPI

WHAT DID CHRISTOPHER SEAN SUBMIT?

“I submitted Paul’s lowest moments in his life, and Paul’s highest moments, meaning the eulogy with John Black, his father, and for my hero, Drake Hogestyn, and Paul getting married to Andrew (Colton Little). So it was two very opposite ends of his life. But what a great culmination of 12 years of being on Days of Our Lives it was.”

ALWAYS BEING GRATEFUL TO DRAKE HOGESTYN

“Even talking about it now, I have so much love for Drake. I’ve got him here on my wall and I wake up every day and I try to make him proud. It’s hard to talk about it, but I feel that my life is on the path that I am because of him, because of him being my role model, because of him loving and guiding me, because of everything that he has taught me on and off the set.”

Photo: JPI

THE EARLY STRUGGLES WITH PAUL’S EULOGY AND HEARTFELT ADDITIONS TO THE DIALOG

“I had been texting back and forth with Drake and I was actually pretty angry, because I felt that we shouldn’t exploit this, but Drake was so attached to the fan base that when Ken Corday spoke with him and gave him the permission to allow the fans to grieve with us, that’s when I said, ‘OK, if that’s what he wants, then I’m going to go full throttle with it.’ In Paul’s eulogy and monologue I’d read it and without asking the writers, I added a few lines and they allowed me to keep them.”

Christopher continued, “One of the lines was, ‘anytime I see a rainbow in the sky’ and I said, ‘and a baseball up high, or a rainbow in the sky,’ because I wanted to attribute it to baseball and to Drake. It was already perfect the way it was written, but that was my nod to Drake. We all loved him and there’s not a person I know who didn’t love him. Drake lit up any room he was a part of. I would not be here, again, without Drake.”

You can catch Christopher’s conversation on the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special at the 2:14:25 mark below.

The 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed in a ceremony on October 30 from the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood California. Current plans are for the event to stream live on the National Academy Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), watch.theemmys.tv and associated apps.

So, will you be rooting for Christopher to take home the gold for his heartbreaking performance of Paul’s grief over losing John and then marrying Andrew? Were you touched by how much Drake Hogestyn had meant to his life and career? Let us know via the comment section below.