Emmy Discussion 08

This year the Emmys are in June again (the 20th to be exact). The nominations were announced April 30th on The View (ABC).

Initial reaction: I'm surprised and disappointed by these nominations. The list isn't very exciting this year. Overall, I'm pretty bummed. One Life To Live got only one acting nom. Guiding Light is nominated for Best Show, and I'm wondering, "For what?" It went downhill in 2007. The Young and the Restless got the most noms, too many acting noms. People that should be nominated are not. And I'm just not that impressed with some of these nominated actors for one reason or another. However, I'm very pleased that One Life To Live is nominated for Best Show. I'm happy to see Kelley Menighan Hensley nominated. I'm pleasantly surprised to see Day of Our Lives with four acting noms. How wonderful for DAYS since it's tinkering on cancellation from being the only soap left on NBC.

Now let me dive into each category to discuss the nominations and share my picks. I'll say this first, though: Most categories I don't care too much who wins. I think that says it all.

Younger Actor: Bryton McClure (Devon, Y&R), Tom Pelphrey (Jonathon, GL), Van Hansis (Luke, ATWT), and Jesse Lee Soffer (Will, ATWT) are all nominated again. New to the category is Darin Brooks (Max, DAYS). Same old, same old except for Brooks. I'm not stunned by this category. It's good to see Brooks nominated even though I'm not familiar with his work. I've rooted for Pelphrey in the past, and I loved seeing him win. But he doesn't need to win this year. I'm all for Van Hansis because he's adorable and he's great as Luke, a gay character fans can't help but root for in the game of love. Here's to Hansis!

Younger Actress: Jennifer Landon (Gwen, ATWT) is the only returning nominee. The others...I don't know well enough to judge. There's Rachel Melvin (Chelsea, DAYS), Vail Bloom (Heather, Y&R), Emily O'Brien (Jana, Y&R), and Tammin Sursok (Colleen, Y&R). First, why are the THREE Y&R nominees? That's not fair! And I heard those three should not be nominated because there are better younger actresses that could have been nominated. Kristen Alderson (Starr, OLTL), Kirsten Storms (Maxie, GH), and Alexandra Chando (ex-Maddie, ATWT) are a few that are better. So NOT rooting for those Y&R gals! I like that Melvin is nominated, but I'm forced to root for Landon. I know her work and her character. She's a gem.

Supporting Actor: This category had two surprises. Daniel Cosgrove (Bill, GL) and Brian Kerwin (Charlie, OLTL) are newcomers to the Emmys, and I adore both of them. It's great to see them on this list. I didn't recognize Kerwin's name, but once I knew he's the one portraying Charlie, I was excited for him. And he's OLTL's only acting nom, which is a shame. The three other actors have been here before: Trent Dawson (Henry, ATWT), Greg Rikaart (Kevin, Y&R), and Kristoff St. John (Neil, Y&R). Not pleased about the two Y&R guys. Obviously, The Young and the Restless isn't a soap I favor or watch much. Dawson deserves an Emmy; he's being nominated year after year now. Give him an Emmy already! I do like him and Henry, but I have to root for Kerwin. It's incredible that he's nominated because he joined OLTL only a couple of months ago. He's still fairly new, and he's a joy to watch.

Supporting Actress: This category has the biggest disappointment. Where's Catherine Hickland (Lindsay, OLTL) and Kathy Brier (Marcie, OLTL)?! They had AMAZING work this past year, and they're NOT nominated! GRR! And Gina Tognoni (Dinah, GL) is nominated again! I like her so much, but was her work really better than Hickland's or Brier's? Maybe so, I guess. Anyway...Heather Tom (Katie, B&B) is brilliant because she has now been nominated for all three roles she has played in the soap world. Tracey Bregman (Lauren) is the person from Y&R in this category. Days of Our Lives has a nom here too (which is cool): Judi Evans (Bonnie and Adrienne). The surprise (for me) and the person I'm rooting for is Kelley Menighan Hensley (Emily, ATWT). I've been her and Emily's fan for a couple of years now. Gotta go for Hensley!

Lead Actor: We've got old pros in this category and someone new. Thaao Penghlis (Tony, DAYS) is that someone. I'm tempted to root for him because I know he is good and he's from DAYS, the show that hasn't had Emmy nominations since I-don't-know-when. He's the new pro I suppose. And the others: David Canary (Adam & Stuart, AMC), Anthony Geary (Luke, GH), Peter Bergman (Jack, Y&R), and Christian Le Blanc (Michael, Y&R). All four of those actors are pretty great. I've seen Geary and Le Blanc win in recent years. I can't recall if Bergman has ever won, so I wouldn't mind if he received the Emmy. Canary has won many times, and I feel the urge to root for him because I know his work very well. AMC is a soap I've been watching for over ten years, so I know how talented he is. I love watching him as Adam & Stuart. Hurray for Canary! However, I was hoping that Ricky Paull Goldin (ex-Gus, GL) would be nominated because I LOVE him. Alas, that did not happen, and I'm a little unsure of who to root for.

Lead Actress: I'm so disappointed it's not even funny at all. Four actresses were nominated just last year; the fifth is totally new and terrible. Maura West (Carly, ATWT), Chrystal Chappell (Olivia, GL), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, Y&R), and Jeanne Cooper (Katherine, Y&R) are all wonderfully talented actresses. They portray beloved characters. I'm glad that West won last year. I just can't believe that they're all back on the list this year. Wow! The fifth actress replaces Kim Zimmer (Reva, GL), and that is Nicole Forester (Cassie, GL) Say what?! Her character is beloved, but Forester...not so much. Personally, I don't care for her at all and have never liked her as Cassie. So, I don't like that she's nominated. I'm stunned that she is. I hope she doesn't win. I'm sure she'd be better in another role on another soap. That's just how I feel. Having said that, I don't know who to root for. Maybe West should win again or Cooper should FINALLY win.

Drama Series: General Hospital, Guiding Light, One Life To Live, and The Young and the Restless. I'm stunned by this category too. Of course Y&R is nominated. Yikes! General Hospital is usually nominated even though it's full of violence and mob stuff. There must have been something good from last year. At first, I hated that GL is on this list because 2007 was their downfall. 2007 was a BAD year, but not all of it... I had forgotten about Tammy's death and the special 70th anniversary episode. I hope that stuff was submitted. I have mixed feelings about One Life To Live because 2007 was an improvement year. Some of it was really bad, and then it became wonderful. So, I don't know what episodes will be submitted, but I am definitely rooting for it. I am loving OLTL SO MUCH!

I'll just list nominations for these two other categories...

Directing:
All My Children
The Bold and the Beautiful
General Hospital
One Life To Live

Writing:
The Bold and the Beautiful
General Hospital
Guiding Light
One Life To Live
The Young and the Restless