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Even though we complain about the writing, about the casting choices, about the disrespect to history, about the apathy regarding certain key characters and a myriad of other things, one thing you can be sure of is that the writers here at Eye on Soaps, love, love, LOVE their ABC Daytime Dramas. That's one of the reasons we DO complain, after all. Watching someone with power over a loved one mistreat that dear companion is a travesty! To be fair, you will always hear us singing the praises of the scenes and characters and that make us smile, sniffle, swoon or cheer. One of the most important (and finely crafted) aspects of our writing staff is its extreme diversity. We are fortunate to have columnists from all walks of life who espouse opinions from every direction, which is part of what makes Eye on Soaps such an interesting place to be. With all of that in mind, I asked some of the writing staff (those who had time, actually) to talk about what they considered to be the best and worst moments in ABC soaps in 2006. They answered questions according to the shows they watch and any specific opinions they had to offer. I gave them a suggested list of categories and from there, they were off and running, ignoring some that did not inspire them and making up a few of their own along the way. It was a joy to put this piece together and I think you will like it too. You can click on the icon next to a writer's comments to get to their most recent column and at the bottom of that column, you'll find an email link should you be interested in contacting them. Go to the bathroom, get a drink, take the phone off the hook and turn off the TV as we turn our entire focus to the Eye on Soaps Staff rating the best and worst of ABC Daytime Drama for 2006:
Carolyn Aspenson - Column: The Naked Truth Best Couple: Luke & Tracy; General Hospital Best "Gotcha": Todd came back to life; One Life To Live Best Storyline: All My Children JR trying to kill Babe. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. I’ve looked through past soap magazines and EOS columns and honestly, there isn’t a specific story on AMC this year that truly stands out for me. It’s been a lot of the SSDD (got it, Marilyn?), just dragged out over the scope of a year. One Life To Live Todd being put to death. The ‘death’ scenes were horrifyingly intense and Trevor St. John’s comments in various magazines stating, “I thought they were happy with my work” led most everyone to wonder if Todd would really die. His playing along really added to the story. His acting was Emmy worthy and I even enjoyed watching Blair as Todd ‘died’. Her facial expressions showed each emotion she’s felt for Todd since they met. Evangeline won kudos for her devotion to and respect for Todd even when everyone thought he was guilty. It was a fantastic story done with impeccable skill and precision. I was genuinely impressed. General Hospital Lulu’s pregnancy. Julie Berman should receive an Emmy for her portrayal of a pregnant teenager. She played every emotion perfectly and made me feel as if I was right there with her. She was selfish, scared, confused, angry and determined all at the same time. The story was true to life – something rare for General Hospital. The interaction between Lulu and Luke showed Luke is the father he should be. Tracy showed her true colors and even surprised me with her support of Lulu’s feelings. Sure, throwing in her pregnancy decision of the past was out of sync with storyline history but that’s not unusual for General Hospital. This story gave Julie Berman a chance to shine and shine she did. It also gave Lulu a chance to face the world on her own, walking into the clinic. She was brave and responsible. I hope this story wins an Emmy for the actor and the show. Worst Couple: Lucky and Maxie; General Hospital Most mindbendingly awful character: Colby Chandler; All My Children Best New Character: Epiphany; General Hospital (Okay, I’m not sure if she’s new this year but if she isn’t, I’m sticking with her because I like her) Best New Actor: This is tough. I’m not even sure who’s new this year. All of the years seem to run together into one big long year. I’ll go with Soyna Eddy (Epiphany, General Hospital) Worst Story: Anything Colby Chandler; All My Children Best Recast: Gee, were there any recasts this year? How about if I include last year since I’m not sure what recasts came on this year? Laura Wright as Carly came on in July of 2005, I think. I pick her. Worst Recast: Okay, I’m stepping back a few years here but she’s still a recast and she’s still my worst, so I don’t think the year should really matter. Heather Tom, Kelly on One Life To Live Best Return of a Departed Character: Todd Manning; One Life To Live (post execution) Worst Rewrite: Luke & Laura’s wedding, General Hospital. It could have been done better, sans the mob scenes and if Laura could have started losing it again AFTER the actual wedding. Biggest Waste of a Character: That’s easy! Robert Scorpio; General Hospital Biggest Waste of an Actor: That’s easy too! Tristan Rogers; General Hospital Worst Wardrobed Character, Male or Female: Definitely Carly Corinthos; General Hospital Biggest Bitch: Tess; One Life To Live (I mean this in a good way!) Most Wasted Opportunity for a Good Story: Dixie’s return; All My Children Worst Nervous Habit in a Character/Actor: Um, Um. Um…let me think about that. Um…um…oh, Emily/Natalia saying “UM” all the freaking time!! Best Guest Star: Unfortunately I’m going to have to go with Donny Osmond on All My Children Biggest Wuss: Lucky Spencer; General Hospital ties it with the terrible version of Robert Scorpio they’re forcing Tristan Rogers to play this time around Best Villain/ess: Helena Cassadine; General Hospital Most Missed Departure (What character should have been brought back and wasn't): The “REAL” Robert Scorpio; General Hospital Best "help" (someone's employee/worker on a soap): Epiphany; General Hospital Best Hair, Male: Greg Vaughan, during his stint on ‘Charmed’ and Forbes March, One Life To Live Best Hair, Female: I hate to say this but Kelly Monaco; General Hospital (this is the only thing I really like about this character!) Best Makeover: I’d say it will be Laura Wright as Carly when they give her a better wardrobe Most Ludicrous Oversight: Not having me stand at Tristan Rogers table this summer at the GHFCW They should have worked harder to keep Tristan Rogers busy They should have fired Guza, of course Hottest Guy: Well, DUH! Tristan Rogers; General Hospital and Forbes March; One Life To Live Hottest Gal: Bree Williamson; One Life To Live Worst Sex: No sex is bad sex in my book. Oh, wait. This really wasn’t about my sex life, was it? Best Friendship: Kathy, Katrina and Carolyn; EOS Best Scene Stealer: Epiphany; General Hospital Favorite Veteran Character (On the show for more than 10 years): Does Robert Scorpio count? If not, tough Favorite Veteran Actor (Was first on the show more than 10 years ago): Tristan Rogers! Best Drunk: Me! I’m usually a happy drunk So Glad They Broke Up This Year... Todd and Blair but damn it, they’re back together again! Worst Scene: Robert Scorpio being found beat up on the docks by his daughter. Robert Scorpio would never get beat up.
Best Couple: Tess and Nash Best "Gotcha": Spencer not being Asa’s son Best Storyline: Todd’s trial and execution Worst Couple: Evangeline and Christian Most mindbendingly awful character: Britney or Langston… pretty interchangeable, actually Best New Character: Nash Brennan Best New Actor: Forbes March Worst Story: Hmmm… probably Evangeline going blind or Christian’s boxing storyline…ugg or the awful stalker storyline… wait, I was supposed to just pick one?! Best Recast: Eve McBain… can we bring her back and rekindle the spark with Bo? Best Return of a Departed Character: Clint Buchanan Worst Rewrite: The miserable handling of the whole Kelly-Duke-Kevin story… what a waste. Biggest Waste of a Character: Dorian Lord… why has she been stuck in such miserable stories? Biggest Waste of an Actor: Ilene Kristensen… she is so funny and entertaining…we don’t see her nearly enough Worst Wardrobed Character, Male or Female: Evangeline Williamson: How can such a good looking woman get stuck in such ugly clothes? Biggest Bitch: Dorian, but of course! Best Wedding: Marcie and Michael’s wedding was lovely, and it had a climactic tornado ending… Most Wasted Opportunity for a Good Story: The miserable exits of Duke, Kelly, and Kevin… here was an opportunity to have a real soap triangle of hurt and reconciliation, and instead, TPTB killed Duke, super accelerated the pregnancy, and halfheartedly reunited Kelly and Kevin before packing them off to England. What a disappointment! Biggest Wuss: Adriana. Somebody help her move on and stop boring us to tears with her miserable pouting Best Villain/ess: Margaret and Spencer Most Missed Departure (What character should have been brought back and wasn't): We should have seen Joey Buchanan, what with all the Buchanan stuff that went on this year. From Vicki’s troubles, to Jess/Tess, to Duke’s death and Asa’s illness… what, he couldn’t even show up to marry Jess and Antonio? Best "help" (someone's employee/worker on a soap): Chef David Vickers in his cutesy apron Best Hair, Male: Michael Easton/John McBain Best Hair, Female: Adriana Cramer/Melissa Gallo Best Makeover: Kristen Alderson/Starr Manning…what a young woman she’s become! They should have worked harder to keep... OLTL’s David Vickers They should have fired... OLTL’s Paige Miller! Hottest Guy: Nash Brennan Hottest Gal: Tess Buchanan Worst Sex: Having to watch Spencer and Blair… ewww Best Friendship: Todd and Evangeline Best Scene Stealer: Starr Manning/Kristen Alderson—she can hold her own! Favorite Veteran Character (On the show for more than 10 years): Vicki Buchanan Favorite Veteran Actor (Was first on the show more than 10 years ago): Erika Slezak Best Drunk: Roxy Balsom, of course! So Glad They Broke Up This Year... Todd and Blair Best re-decorated house/apt/club: I love Dorian’s new kitchen! Best Public Sex Scene: Jessica and Antonio, on their honeymoon Worst Kissers: Bo Buchanan and Paige Miller Best Kissers: Tess and Nash Most Fast-Forwarded Couple: Marcie and Michael McBain
The Gourmez - Column: The Gourmez Best Couple: The men of Port Charles and their pills. Sonny struggled with his relationship with Lithium for a while, wondering if he could trust her, or if she’d hurt his reputation with the other guys, but ultimately he accepted that calming Lithi had earned a place in his life. Through her influence, Sonny has indeed become a better man. Lucky, on the other hand, has had a torrid love affair with Hydrocodone. Initially, she was a blessed balm for the pain in his life, giving him relief when no one else could. But Hydro quickly showed her true colors, ensnaring Lucky into a codependent relationship that he just couldn’t see. Lucky’s broken all ties with Hydro for now, but I’m sure she’ll pop up at his place just when he needs some cold comfort. Best “Gotcha:” I’ve got to go with the return of Robert Scorpio here. I knew it was coming but the scene was set perfectly. Tropical jungle, secret government scheme, enter Robert Scorpio. The “and so it begins…” across the screen was classic. Best Storyline: The Markham Island Virus. It involved the whole canvas of characters, brought back some favorites, had intrigue, a bit of adventure, and death. It probably shouldn’t have lasted all of February, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and all the storylines tied to it. Worst Couple: Is anyone not going to vote for Sonny and Emily? That was just skeevy on so many levels. Age differentials can work well on soaps, but this one didn’t at all. It made no sense that Emily would fall for a mobster. Yes, she loves her brother but she’s never been supportive of his “work” before. Even Sonny, who will sleep with any stray character that crosses his path, would have paused before taking up with Michael’s aunt and Jason’s sister. It just didn’t work and was nothing but a fast forward heaven. Most mindbendingly awful character: Sam McCall. When I started watching GH again, summer of ’05, I actually liked Sam. She seemed like a good fit for Jason, a woman who could be counted on in a pinch, and pretty sweet. She even had chemistry with Robin—they could have made good friends. What a difference a year makes. Sam is the most whiny, crying, self-absorbed character out there. She has no concept of life without a man, no ability to even apologize to her mother for sleeping with her stepfather, no semblance of self-respect. It hurts my femininity to see her on my screen. If she can get some counseling to work through her esteem issues, I’ll give her another shot. But presently, I hope Helena realizes Sam’s a Cassadine and kidnaps her away to Greece. She can reappear after 6 months as a Cassadine villain. Then her relationship to Alexis might be palatable again. Best New Character: Guy. He disappeared off the canvas as inexplicably as Lucas did, which is better than having them both killed off, I suppose. Guy was the well-adjusted gay friend of Georgie’s who took offense at Lucas’ shame at being gay and ultimately helped him accept it. Last seen at the high school prom—if you have any information on his or Lucas’ whereabouts, let me know! Best New Actor: Most of the newbies from this past year actually started at the end of 2005, so I’m going to cheat. I claim Julie Berman as the best new actor. She’s been convincing as Luke and Laura’s daughter from day one and is very talented. Love her, though it’d be nice if Lulu moved on from her abortion. Worst Story: Robin has to tell the paternity of Little John (worst nickname ever) to Nikolas. There was no reason Robin should have been involved with the story and I’m still annoyed at the writers that they brought her into it. Can’t they even come up with a new person to deliver news of babynapping? Bringing Robin into it made it a rehash of the Michael paternity ordeal. That was riveting the first time but should never have been repeated again. Best Recast: I don’t remember any recasts on GH in 2006 (thank the soap opera gods) so I’ll reach into the end of 2005 again and go for Laura Wright. I still hate Carly but I think Ms. Wright has brought her closer back to the original Carly. I don’t turn away when she’s on as I have for the past recasts. Chicken-winged bat-wielding mob moll, I’m talking about you. Worst Recast: Karim Prince as Stan Johnson. It all went downhill once Stan cut off his dreads. In no time, he seemed like a completely different person. Even was a completely different person, who just isn’t as eye candy worthy as the original. Best Return of a Departed Character: This is the same as my Best “Gotcha” Moment. Robert Scorpio is a joy to have back and I only wish we’d actually see him! Worst Rewrite: I give this to the immediate rewrites that have been running amok this year. First there’s a wonder drug that might bring Laura back and then, 3 weeks later, we learn that it’s only temporary and supposedly Luke and Robin knew? Yeah, right. Sam plots to seduce Ric to get back at her mother but after it happens, suddenly she and all her friends are spouting that Ric must have been taking advantage of her? That’s doesn’t explain the nighties she kept sporting in front of him. My favorite just happened last week-Robin figures out that the BAD landlord read a feature on Patrick and then, 30 seconds later, accuses him of not having read a newspaper for twenty years. The inconsistency from day to day is driving me batty. Biggest Waste of a Character: Robert Scorpio and Anna Devane are tied for this slot. Why bring back and put Tristan Rogers on contract if you don’t give him a storyline? Worse than no storyline, he hardly evens interacts with his daughter and brother. It’s ridiculous. And ABC brought back Finola Hughes, knowing they only had so much time with her, but didn’t use her hardly at all. Having these two characters in the same room would be amazing soap opera. They could have filled a month straight just rehashing their past and what they’ve both done for the past, what, 13 years or so? Bleh. Biggest Waste of an Actor: Tristan Rogers and Finola Hughes. You shouldn’t even have to write a script for these two actors—they could be completely silent and I’d be glued to the television. In fact, I was totally glued during the montage where he pecked her cheek. It was thrilling and incredibly tender. But we got no more. Worst Wardrobed Character: I have no sense of style, but even I can tell that Carly Corinthos Alcazar needs to wear clothing that actually covers her body. Talk about seeing the whole package. I don’t need to see plunging necklines down to her belly button. Save that for the love scenes, thanks. Biggest Bitch: I think Carly must hand over her crown this year to Sam McCall. Way to blame everything that’s ever gone wrong for you on a woman with cancer who still tries to reach out to you even though you slept with her husband. Has Alexis been a peach? No. But she didn’t cause Sam to miscarry her child, lose her brother, or get kidnapped and repeatedly attacked by Manny. That’s why Jason broke up with her—because he didn’t want her hurt and not because Alexis, who also doesn’t want her hurt, asked him to. Jason doesn’t do anything merely because someone else asked. Yet Sam still has the nerve to get angry with Alexis at the drop of a hat. That’s just pure bitchiness. Best Wedding: Georgie and Dillon get married in the hospital chapel. It was adorable and so full of love and concern. It was nice to see Tracy put aside her hostility so her son could marry his only love before he died. Even nicer that he didn’t die, but the scenes were sweet and lovely. Most Wasted Opportunity for a Good Story: Anna Devane and Robert Scorpio are in Port Charles, both alive. Just seeing them reconnect with everyone would have been great. The few scenes we got were excellent, especially those with Robin in the Markham Islands. But there should have been so much more story from such a homecoming. Worst Nervous Habit in a Character/Actor: Carly running to Sonny when she’s feeling insecure. Really, woman, you’ve been over this. He’s your very destructive crutch and should be avoided at all costs. Stick with Jax; he’s really very good for you. Stop feeling like you aren’t good enough or that he will leave you because he WILL when you run to Sonny one more time. Best Guest Star: I’m giving this to Genie Francis. Her return was brief but desperately needed for Laura’s family. Plus, she played her scenes expertly and brought a lot of life into a small span of time. Best Villain/ess: Ric Lansing. He works for me because he’s a sociopath who functions normally from day to day. You just never know when he’s going to snap and lock someone in a panic room. It’s eerie how he’s transferring his own abandonment issues to Molly. Even the recent confessional scenes have been psycho because he knows he’s doing immoral things but thinks that his actions are serving a higher purpose otherwise known as his delusions. Ric puts me in a continual state of nervousness. Most Missed Departure: Felicia Jones Scorpio. Her girls and Mac have really needed her lately. She’s an absence that just keeps getting harder to explain. Georgie got married, divorced, and graduated high school. Maxie got “pregnant,” dealt drugs, and lost a boyfriend to a gunshot wound. No Mom anywhere around. Felicia loves her girls too much to not be there for them. Best “help”: Alfred gets this one. He’s charming, sweet, and isn’t above matchmaking, even as a stodgy old butler. I was very glad that Colleen didn’t succeed at offing him! Best Hair, Male: Patrick Drake. Yum. Best Hair, Female: Laura Wright, especially when it’s curly. Best Makeover: Nanny McCrazy Colleen. Black becomes her much better than orange hair. I can look at her without screaming now. Most Ludicrous Oversight: A DNA test for Alexis and Sam. If we have to put up with them as mother and daughter, I’d like to be sure that Sam is actually Alexis’ daughter. It’s a purely circumstantial relationship at present. Both parties seemed to accept it without question. Who was young Alexis dallying with anyhow? They should have worked harder to keep: ...characters alive. None of the deaths this year were necessary for storyline purposes. I accept Tony and Danny dying because of the virus but why did Durant, Justus, and Diego need to die too? The writers could easily have had these characters just leave town but instead, they were all casualties of mob violence that didn’t move any storyline along. If I’m supposed to be happy with mobsters monopolizing my soap, I could do without the reminders of how violent their life is. As it is, I could care less if Jason becomes a dad because the kid will likely be shot, kidnapped, and tortured just to get to dear old Dad and I’m supposed to feel bad for Jason when it happens. Yeah right. You reap what you sow. They should have fired: Amanda Tepe. A crazy nanny storyline could have worked, but the acting is ridiculous. If at first you don’t succeed, recast or quickly tie up a story! Don’t subject us to scenes with Teped acting instead. Most Memorable Line: Tracy Quartermaine, “Do I look like I was born yesterday?” Holly Sutton, “Decidedly not.” There were better lines than that, but it’s the only one I remember! Hottest Guy: Lucky, when he’s not a sweaty drug addict. Diego had a few wow moments as well before he was killed. Hottest Gal: Sam “Boobs” McCall is quite hot. I also nominate Robin Scorpio in the “prettiest girl next door” category. Most Regrettable “Dropped Ball” in a Story: Helena Kidnaps Courtney and Colleen Kidnaps Helena. I would really like to have seen how Courtney could have escaped Helena or how Colleen could have trapped her. We probably didn’t see either scenario because the writers knew we wouldn’t buy it but wanted it to happen anyhow. Who ran down Dr. Meadows anyway? I also bet that involved Helena, which means we will never know. Worst Sex: Sam and Ric rut on the floor like the pigs they are. The image is seared into my eyes. Best Friendship: Robert and Luke. They started off talking in the hospital like they’d never been apart and continued the beautiful bickering all year. Good times. Best Scene Stealer: Detective Rodriguez because I just can’t stop looking at him when he’s on my screen. Favorite Veteran Character: Robin Scorpio. She’s been in PC for nearly 2 decades and I love her, even when she’s being too sanctimonious for her own good. For the older generations, I pick Edward Quartermaine, ever the scheming patriarch. Favorite Veteran Actor: Jane Elliot. It’s really hard to chose but I just love how Tracy’s been portrayed this year. I don’t think I ever knew Tracy was vulnerable! I’m too young to remember her early 80’s work but 90’s Tracy was always just a fun shrew. Now, I’m really pulling for her to get some genuine love and respect. Best Drunk: Robin Scorpio. Just the right amount of slur and abrasiveness. I’d get drunk with her. So Glad They Broke Up This Year: Jason and Sonny. Of course, they had to ruin it by getting back together too quickly. I guess true love just can’t stay apart for long. Worst Scene: Too many choices. I’ll opt for Lorenzo’s men beating up Robert Scorpio. It was ridiculous. Robert may no longer be a spring chicken but he could definitely hold his own with a couple of mafia men. Spy training doesn’t just disappear because you stop being one for a few months. And it was degrading to watch. That’s when I stopped caring about anything Lorenzo does. Just ship him and his business off to Timbuktu.
Best Couple: Zach and Myrtle-truly a pairing of equals. It’s a cruel universe that had them born decades apart. Best "Gotcha": That I actually wound up liking Amanda and rooting for her. Best Storyline: The Mardi Gras Ball explosion and its aftermath Worst Couple: Babe and Krystal Most mindbendingly awful character: Babe. The writing never takes her any place interesting, just some place predictable and infuriating to watch. Best New Character: Emma Best New Actor: Lucy Merriam Worst Story: The aborted abortion, not only did it thumb its nose at AMC history but it had me thinking about Erica’s uterus, which was something I never ever wanted to do Best Recast: John James as Jeff Martin. The current writing for Jeff is atrocious but Mr. James keeps my finger skimming along the ff’d button and never quite touching it during his scenes. Worst Recast: Derek. Charles Parnelll is a good actor but his portrayal lacks the sly humor William Christian brought to the role Best Return of a Departed Character: Janet Dillon. The writing was not always consistent, the dioramas were silly and the quicksand ridiculous but Kate Collins was always sublime Worst Rewrite: The rewrite of Erica’s abortion, not just because of Josh, but because the rewrite of Erica’s motivations was the true insult to AMC history. One of the reasons the original story was so risky was Erica’s original reason for having the abortion, because having a child would interfere with her plans. Biggest Waste of a Character: The evil but incredibly sexy Dr. David Hayward. In a tie for second place are Brooke, Opal, Simone, Palmer, Myrtle and Dani. Biggest Waste of an Actor: The gifted and incredibly sexy Vincent Irizarry. In a tie for second place are Julia Barr, Jill Larson, Terri Ivens, James Mitchell, Eileen Herlie and Tanisha Lynn. Worst Wardrobed Character, Male or Female: Erica Kane. This past year her clothes often made her look like she was trying too hard to look young, which only made her look older and pathetic. Biggest Bitch: Me? No? Well then, DixieBitch. She’s not an interesting bitch, but she’s still a bitch. Best Wedding: Zach and Kendall, of course. Most Wasted Opportunity for a Good Story: Tad and David realize that Dixie has screwed with them both. Tad and David also realize they are meant to be together. The happy new couple goes off together to find Kate, which they do. Tad and David raise Kate together. Kate is a happy child and not the only one at Pine Valley Day School with two daddies. Worst Nervous Habit in a Character/Actor: Dixie’s eye blinking. Best Guest Star: The anonymous singer who sang “How High the Moon” during the Mardi Gras Ball explosion Biggest Wuss: Adam Chandler (It was unbelievably painful to type his name here.) Best Villain/ess: The executives at ABC Daytime edged out all other possibilities Most Missed Departure (What character should have been brought back and wasn't): It was absurd that Tim Dillon was not in PV to help Amanda deal with Janet and their father’s death. Runner up was Tom Cudahy. Best "help" (someone's employee/worker on a soap): Winifred, of course! Best Hair, Male: That silver fox, David Canary Best Hair, Female: Terri Ivens, hair so beautiful it almost seemed unreal Best Makeover: Amanda wins for being transformed from irritating to truly touching. Most Ludicrous Oversight: Ruth has yet to meet her grandson Josh. Runner up was the absence of Simone’s father at her funeral. They should have worked harder to keep: Vincent Irizarry. They should have fired: The Careys. Most Memorable Line: “Into every marriage a little acid rain must fall.” Janet Hottest Guy: The evil but sexy David Hayward Hottest Gal: Simone Torres Most Regrettable "Dropped Ball" in a Story: Reggie. He was a ‘dropped ball” in every Kane/Montgomery storyline. Worst Sex: Josh and Babe. In a kiddie pool. On a roof. In October in Pennsylvania. Best Friendship: Myrtle and Zach. Best Scene Stealer: Emma and Miranda. Favorite Veteran Character (On the show for more than 10 years): Myrtle Favorite Veteran Actor (Was first on the show more than 10 years ago): Eileen Herlie and James Mitchell. I cannot chose between these two. I just cannot. Best Drunk: AMC does not have a good drunk. So Glad They Broke Up This Year... Lily and Jonathan Worst Scene: Colby and Sydney at the Yacht Club. The perfect example of how NOT to introduce new characters. Runner-up: Julia being “sexy” on the beach. Most Useless Character: Del Henry Line that made you cry: “In the end maybe that’s all we have. Some days.” Tad Why did they bother to bring him/her back?: Jamal. The scene that went too far: JR peeing on Josh’s shoe. It proved that neither JR nor AMC have any class. What “old school” thing should AMC bring back? Friendships
Trish Fodor - Column: Soaps in the Key of Life Best Couple AMC: Lily and Jonathan. I understand why they had to split up but these two brought more love and genuine emotion to a scene without as much as a touch as any couple I’ve ever seen in daytime. GH: Luke and Laura. Even for the briefest of reunions, these two still captivated me. Such chemistry! Genie and Tony must have been together in another life. OLTL: Marcie and Michael McBain. They are so genuine and I really want them to be happy. Best "Gotcha" AMC: Josh is Erica’s son. So, what’s a little rewritten history? GH does it all the time! GH: If it’s pertaining to characters getting caught, it’s a tie between Alexis and Jason spying Sam and Ric rutting on the living room floor and Elizabeth busting into the room over Kelly’s to find Lucky with Maxie. OLTL: John McBain is alive. Perhaps not everyone saw it in the mags or online long before it was revealed. Best StorylineAMC: Lily learns the truth about Jonathan is well again. In a year that was SO entrenched with the whole Babe/JR fiasco, my vote has to go to Jonathan and Lily’s tender but bittersweet tale. GH: This is the hardest to pick because GH does moments and not stories. I’ll to go with Patrick Drake is exposed to HIV. Not only did it add a whole new dimension to Patrick and Robin's relationship but it revealed that prejudice against those who are living HIV positive or people exposed to HIV is still an issue with which our society struggles. OLTL: John McBain is alive. I may not be the biggest fan of John and Natalie but the surrounding cast really lit up the screen for me and you have to admit, it is a VERY soapy story. Worst Couple AMC: Babe and JR. I am SO over them. GH: Sonny and Emily. Thank heavens for whoever pulled the plug on that fiasco.OLTL: Bo and Paige. Just never saw the point. Now, reunite Bo and Nora!Most mindbendingly awful character AMC: Babe Chandler. She’s always regretting or apologizing or whining. Someone just put her out of her misery! GH: Sam McCall. There are no words … (See above x 10!) OLTL: Spencer Truman. What an arrogant, screwed up ass! Best New Character AMC: Josh Madden. If Erica were a boy, she’d look exactly like Josh. He’s got that Kane bone structure! GH: Spinelli. “Dude!” He may be annoying to some but let’s face it; he secretly says the satirical things to characters that we’re all dying to. Calling Sonny “The Godfather”, Carly “Babealicious”, Monica, “Regal One”, Alexis, “Goddess Mother” etc. (I’ll gloss over his referring to Sam as goddess or her hotness.) I can’t wait to see what else he comes up with. I predict by next year that you’ll be able to buy a dictionary of “Spinellisms” for Christmas. OLTL: Vincent Jones. He’s a very compelling character and there is so much I want to know about him. Best New Actor AMC: John James as Dr. Jeff Martin. I adored him as Jeff Colby on Dynasty and, like fine wine, he’s only gotten better with age. GH: Jason Thompson. I can’t imagine anyone else playing Noah Drake’s son and that’s high praise coming from a fan of Doc Rock ;-) OLTL: Tobias Truvillion as Vincent Jones. I’ve missed Timothy Stickney as RJ but Vincent coming to Llanview helps to ease the pain. In a way, he’s what Sonny used to be at one time on GH; a mobster whose heart you can see. Let’s hope OLTL does a better job preserving the character. Worst Story AMC: The evil Dr. Madden. The whole rewrite of Erica’s abortion and then burying the man alive was cringe-worthy. (Sure this isn’t GH?) GH: Sam loves Jason. Jason loves Sam. Sam can’t live, breath or function without Jason. Enough already! You have my permission. Run away together. Run far, far away so I don’t have to hear the whining professions of “lurve” again. OLTL: Spencer and Blair. Yuck, yuck and more yuck! Best Recast AMC: John James as Dr. Jeff Martin. Jeff hasn’t been on in years but he was a killer choice to reprise the role. GH: Molly Lansing. Those Dever twins are adorable and beat out “Robobaby “any day! OLTL: Jerry VerDorn as Clint Buchanan. I loved Clint Richie in the role for years and had high expectations for a recast. Jerry’s surpassed them! Worst RecastAMC: Colby Chandler. She’s bratty, she’s annoying and not nearly as interesting as her mommy Liza was at that age. GH: Can’t pick one for 2006. More people were leaving than coming. OLTL: Paige Miller. Not because the actress is not talented but the character does nothing for me. Best Return of a Departed Character AMC: Dixie’s alive! Dixie’s alive! GH: Anna Devane parachuting back into Port Charles. Too bad she had nothing to do after she landed but her arrival was sooo “Anna”. OLTL: Clint comes home. He’s been sorely missed and Jerry walked into the role as if he’d played it all his life. Worst Rewrite AMC: Erica Kane’s abortion … or NOT. GH: The blatant shift in Ric Lansing’s character. Last year he welcomed a daughter into the world last and “rediscovered” his priorities. After sitting on the “Mr. Mom” backburner for the first part of 2006, evil Ric was resurrected to gaslight his manic-depressive (albeit mobster) brother; cheat on his wife with his own stepdaughter; frame said stepdaughter; battle in court and for custody with his cancer stricken wife. Lately he’s setting up an addict in rehab to cast suspicion on him and win back the affections of ex-wife Elizabeth after barely mentioning her for the past several years? It’s enough to make your head spin. Biggest Waste of a CharacterAMC: Brooke English. No story, no screen time, no point. GH: Ric Lansing. His character is inconsistent and has little or no point of view. Everyone labels Ric as “twisted” or a “cockroach” but what’s the motivation for his actions? I guess we’ll never know. OLTL: Nora Buchanan. WTF was the months in a coma? Then, when Nora is recovering from her stroke, she gets a few minor scenes? Oh yeah, <smacks head> She’s over forty! Forgot about that. Biggest Waste of an Actor AMC: Vincent Irrizary. It was ages since Dr. David had a good, meaty story. Leora’s death still kills me. But making the talented man push a mop around and play second fiddle to the likes of Krystal and Babe was a crime. GH: Rick Hearst. Having seen so much of his work on Y&R, B&B, Days and Guiding Light, I’ve come to the conclusion that GH just doesn’t appreciate the talent they have in him. OLTL: Ilene Kirsten. Roxie is always good for a laugh. She lights up the screen. Worst Wardrobed Character, Male or Female AMC: Tad Martin. Don’t know why, but he can look downright frumpy sometimes. GH: Carly Corinthos. Some of her wardrobe is pretty scary! OLTL: Marcie McBain. I know she’s supposed to be kind of plain and a little chunky but they could take it up a notch and not hurt her character at all. Biggest Bitch AMC: Colby Chandler. The young lady takes after her mommy, Liza, when she was that age but without the same cunning delivery. GH: Sam McCall. That chick is like nails on a chalkboard and as spineless and selfish as they come. I used to like her back in the salvaging days. OLTL: All hail Dorian Lord! Love her. Best WeddingAMC: Lily and Jonathan just because I wanted them to go through with it. GH: I may have protested it as a sweeps stunt but Luke and Laura #2 won on the pure nostalgia of it all. (Man, I hate being a hypocrite!) OLTL: Marcie and Michael McBain. Yeah, the ceremony ended in a whirlwind (pun intended) but they finally tied the knot. Most Wasted Opportunity for a Good Story GH: Alexis’s cancer. It could have been Emmy worthy stuff from Nancy Lee Grahn and Rick Hearst. (Remember the outstanding wig scenes?) It could have been an amazing love story after all the hell those two have been through. Instead, it became a prop for Sam and Jason. What a shame. Worst Nervous Habit in a Character/ActorGH: Probably Emily and Elizabeth pushing their hair back all the time. The long banged styles make it a natural habit. (I do it too!) Best Guest Star GH: Robert LaSardo, hands down. Manny Ruiz brought a whole new definition of evil to Port Charles. Biggest Wuss AMC: Babe, Babe, Babe, Babe, GH: Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, OLTL: Jessica, Jessica, Jessica, Jessica Best Villain/ess AMC: David Hayward. He was so slick when he was bad. Yummy! GH: Manny Ruiz. He was VILE and I loved him! Helena Cassadine, for the ladies. She IS the queen of darkness. OLTL: Spencer Truman. I may hate him, but that means he’s doing a good job. Most Missed Departure AMC: Vincent Irizzary. I will really miss him. Who’s gonna stick it to the Martins and Chandlers now? GH: Corbin Bernsen. What were they thinking??? OLTL: Tuc Watkins. Llanview just won’t be the same with out David Vickers. What character should have been brought back and wasn't AMC: Greenlee needs to come home and get Ryan away from this “look-a-like” Annie. GH: Felicia Jones. If two girl ever needed their mother, it’s Maxie and Georgie. OLTL: Joey Buchanan. How can they bury Duke and not have him at least show for the funeral? Best "help" (someone's employee/worker on a soap) AMC: It’s a tie between Erica’s Val and Coral. We never see either one on camera these days. GH: Big Alice. We rarely see her but she keeps those Quartermaine’s in line OLTL: Nigel, of course. Best Hair, Male AMC: Michael Knight has always had the thickest head of hair! GH: Rick Springfield! I like it on the longer side and thank God his touring allows him to escape the shears that the other male actors have had to endure. (Some of them have resembled shorn sheep this year!) And what’s with the clean-shaven rule? Rick Hearst looked mighty fine with the goatee he had going. OLTL: I don’t know if I’ve seen it air but I did see it on the cover of a magazine. Michael Easton was sporting a new shorter cut that was HOT. Best Hair, Female AMC: Alicia Minshew (Kendall). What I’d give for those thick, long curls! GH: Laura Wright. I just love some of the things they’ve done with Carly’s hair. OLTL: Cassie DePaiva (Blair). It’s a great color, the perfect length and a cut that holds its style even when she runs her hands through it. Best Makeover AMC: (Krystal) From country bumpkin to Chandler wife, she’s stepping up to the plate. GH: Alexis Davis. I know the wig is weird to see but after seeing her balding, the look recently has been amazing. OLTL: Starr Manning. It’s been fun to watch her blossom into a young woman with a wardrobe, hair and makeup to match. They should have worked harder to keep: AMC: Vincent Irrizary. What a loss! GH: Genie Francis. They never should have let her go to begin with and having her come back for a ratings stunt was insulting. OLTL: Tuc Watkins. Again, what a loss! Hottest Guy AMC: Cameron Matheson. I’m not real into Ryan these days but his portrayer is smokin’! GH: Rick Hearst (BIG surprise, eh?) I just think the man is beautiful, villain or not. Ted King’s a close second. A girl can get lost in those blue eyes. OLTL: (Rex) I was on the fence on this one until I saw the guy shirtless. I was instantly reduced to a superficial, drooling fool. Hottest Gal AMC: Terry Ivans. (ex-Simone). She may be gone but her beauty is not forgotten. Sassy and sexy, Simone sizzled when she was allowed on screen. GH: Kent King. (Dr. Lainey Winters). She’s rarely on but I find her to be one of the most stunning women on GH. OLTL: Renee Goldsberry (Evangaline) Worst Sex AMC: Babe and Josh. GH: What sex? OLTL: Spencer and Blair Best Friendship AMC: Bianca and Ryan. I just love the honesty between these two. GH: Robin and Sonny. Robin’s the one character who can really bring out the real Sonny. He’s at his best with her. The two couldn’t be farther apart professionally; he shoots people, she saves people. Still there is a deep admiration for one another that shines through. OLTL: Bo and Rex. The whole father/son vibe is perfect! Best Scene StealerAMC: The new guy Zarf. I can’t take my eyes off of him. Perfect casting for this transgender role. GH: Hope/Faith Dever (Molly Lansing). Never work with animals and children, right? Besides being cute and offering up some coos on cue, the scene where Molly was ripped from her father’s arms and the little girl instantly started to cry, and kick was all hers. Honorable mention goes to Spinelli. All eyes are on him when he’s putting his unique spin on the situation. Kelly who? Steve who? Maurice who? OLTL: Tuc Watkins (David Vickers.) ‘Nuff said. Favorite Veteran Character AMC: Love to love her, love to hate her - Erica Kane. GH: Luke Spencer. He IS General Hospital. OLTL: Bo Buchanan. He’s steady as they come and still sexy after all these years. Favorite Veteran Actor AMC: James Mitchell. We hardly see Palmer Cortlandt but when we do, he commands our attention. GH: Stuart Damon. From Cinderella’s Prince Charming to Dr. Alan Quartermaine, he’s the best! OLTL: Phil Carey. Long live Asa! He defines the word patriarch. Best Drunk AMC: Well, JR is the one tipping the bottle the most in Pine Valley and then diving out windows… GH: Anyone with the last name of Spencer! OLTL: Michael McBain at John’s wake…entertaining yet very moving. So Glad They Broke Up This Year... AMC: JR and Babe. Now if they could only stay that way. GH: Georgie and Lucky. They should have NEVER been together in the first place. OLTL: Blair and Spencer. ICKY!!! Worst Scene GH: Ric sleeping with Sam. I couldn’t stop shaking my head, it was SO wrong. Show Most Desperately In Need of a New Head Writer No contest here. Bob Guza, your time is up! The endless fascination with the mob and darker side of human nature is just not romantic or entertaining. I can get that kind of stuff on the nightly news; I don’t want it on my soap.
Kathy Hardeman - Column: Kathy & Carolyn Do the GH & OLTL Spoilers Best Couple GH: Dang, Jason remains my favorite character but I can’t pick between Jason and Liz or Jason and Sam. So, sadly because I can’t decide, I will keep Jason on his pedestal and move along. My second choice would be…don’t shoot me, wait til I explain…Sonny and Emily. I never expected them to be keepers but I thought they did a great job with their storyline. Emily made Sonny a better person. Sonny made Emily grow up. Maurice Benard, like or hate Sonny, is a wonderful actor and he did wonders for Natalia Livingston. We were drowning in her sea of Umms until her scenes with Sonny began. She led Sonny into admitting he had a problem, going to Lainey, and then gave him up with grace when they were done. OLTL: I like Rex and by extension, Rex and Adriana though I don’t think that Adriana will last with Rex Best "Gotcha" GH: Tony Jones’ death surprised me even though spoilers said he was a goner. Until the funeral eulogy I didn’t want to believe he was really, most definitely, dead. Maybe the biggest gotcha was Laura’s brief return. What a nice present for fans but it didn’t last long enough. OLTL: Spencer’s a fine upstanding doctor, or not. Spencer’s sane, or not. I’m still Gotcha’d because I don’t know if he’s a sane psychopath or crazy evil but smart enough to fake normal. Best Storyline GH: It’s not that I am a raving Sonny fan but he did well this year. I loved him accepting his diagnosis of bipolarism and follow up therapy. Even though in real life things don’t move as quickly regarding medicines and therapy, they at least addressed the issues. I hope that this storyline is touched upon in the future with Sonny continuing his therapy and perhaps stopping his meds for a bit so those consequences can be addressed. OLTL: I have to give two storylines credit. Between Todd’s execution and Jessica remembering and dealing with the molestation she suffered as a child OLTL offered viewers some intense drama! Worst Couple GH: It’s confusing but the worst couple is also, Sonny and Emily. Even though I could separate things in my head, underneath, I had a hard time not seeing young Amber Tamblyn as Emily and Sonny as a grown Mobster Man. The age gap didn’t close for me. Even while I was admiring the acting, I couldn’t get past the “she’s too young for him” feeling. OLTL: Kelly and Kevin – never liked them, glad they are gone. Most mindbendingly awful character GH: Character, it says character, not actor. Ric Lansing remains the most creepy, evil, twisted guy on the show. Even when his good side wins for a while, I know that twisted Ric is lurking beneath the surface. He’s even worse than Helena. Helena only terrorizes the Cassadine's. Ric is an equal opportunity terrorizer. OLTL: Spencer, dispenser of all evil plots in the past, the present and probably in the future is truly awful. Probably in five years they’ll still be blaming Spencer for whatever evil lurks in Llanview. Of course, since they can’t seem to get rid of Spencer the blame may be well deserved. Mindbendingly awful also reminds me of Britney. Talk about over play and overacting. She’s so junior high. Ugh! Best New Character GH: For me, this is an easy call. Epiphany wins hands down. She’s original, untamed, and can play both funny and serious. An Epiphany day is always a good day on GH. OLTL: I like Cole. I like the relationship between Marty and Cole. In a month I may not like him because he has just appeared but for now, I am enjoying Cole Best New Actor GH: I want to say Jason Thompson but I don’t think he qualifies for a 2006 new actor. Either way he’s doing a good job playing his character. OLTL: Jerry Verdorn as Clint stepped into some big boots and seems to be holding his own. I like him. Worst Story GH: Nikolas and Courtney. They were just so…wrong. I didn’t like watching them together and didn’t enjoy the who’s the Daddy storyline between Jax, Nikolas and Courtney. OLTL: Kelly sleeps with Duke. It gave me that eww feeling Best Recast GH: The only recast that comes to mind would be John Ingle returning as Edward. Except he recast himself. Hmm, recast or return – doesn’t matter – I was glad to see him. OLTL: Jerry Verdorn Best Return of a Departed Character GH: If Laura hadn’t shown up for her anniversary, I’d give this one to Robert Scorpio. Long time viewers gushing and pictures could never do him justice. I don’t care that he’s 60, the man is hot. However, Genie Francis graced us with her presence for a short time, did a good job with an enjoyable but rushed story, and then faded away again into Droolsville. OLTL: Margaret was departed. I think she was departed twice and she kept coming back. She’s really twisted but highly entertaining. Biggest Waste of a Character GH: Here’s my list – Dr. Noah Drake, Felicia Scorpio Jones, and Lucas Jones – pick one. I’d say Tracey but her scenes involve Luke and when his vacations roll around, Tracey all but disappears. On the other hand, I wouldn’t change things because I love her with Luke. OLTL: Easy to decide – Nora and Lindsay. Biggest Waste of an Actor GH: Corbin Bernsen. Why they made his purpose on the show to hate Sonny and Jason and didn’t build on his past and new relationships, I don’t understand. Worst Wardrobed Character, Male or Female OLTL: Anyone seen wearing their undies on the outside. GH: Maxie, no contest. Biggest Bitch GH: If the Bitch must be female Tracey wins. But if it can be a male Edward wins. It’s allll in the family. OLTL: Blair Best Wedding GH: Best wedding viewed on my television screen goes to Luke and Laura’s rewedding. If we are addressing wedded bliss or unbliss, then Luke and Tracey get my vote. We didn’t see a wedding, only the morning after. Who would have thought these two would be perfect foils. Their relationship works and they get to be kind to each other one week and horrid the next. I didn’t see their wedding but I sure enjoy it. OLTL: I only remember one wedding this year and that would be Michael and Marcie. I guess they win by default. Most Wasted Opportunity for a Good Story GH: Lucas admits he’s gay and then…nothing much. Where did he go? Did Bobbi send him off to camp for reprogramming? What could have been a sensitive portrayal of a difficult time in Lucas’ life was passed over. OLTL: Hugh came, had a little storyline going, got a family, then went Worst Nervous Habit in a Character/Actor GH: Is the complaint valid if the character died or stopped the habit? Courtney messing with her hair and Emily’s um’s immediately come to mind. Best Guest Star GH: Other than the occasional judge I don’t think GH had guest stars this year. What’s up with that? You’d think the Haunted Star would pull in a name or two. Biggest Wuss GH: Ric wins this category after he slept with Sam and then ran to Sonny for protection from Jason. Wuss. OLTL: Kevin drinks, behaves badly, maybe apologizes or maybe not but expects those around him to get over his bad self. Best Villain/ess GH: Manny OLTL: Spencer Most Missed
Departure GH: I yearn for Faith. Best "help" (someone's employee/worker on a soap) GH: Stan. I want more Stan just because he’s cute and should have more lines. OLTL: Bring me more Nigel and I’ll be happy. Best Hair, Male GH: Dillon OLTL: Some people hate it, some like it. I like Nash’s hair. Best Hair, Female GH: Carly. When I look at her hair shards of hair envy sweep through me. It’s ugly but true. OLTL: I don’t enjoy Blair but I like her hair. Best Makeover GH: How about Alexis wearing her make up free cancer face? They should have worked harder to keep ____________ GH: Genie Francis OLTL: David Vickers, I miss you. They should have fired ______________ GH: Mac. It would be sad to see him go but he serves no purpose other than to rag on those around him. They’ve written him into a shrew’s corner. OLTL: If TPTB called to ask me, I’d request that Spencer be banished to a far corner away from Llanview and my screen forever. Most Memorable Line Epiphany: "I’ve Seen Police, I’ve Seen Mobsters. This Isn’t A Hospital, It’s A Joe Pesci Movie." Hottest Guy GH: Jason, of course. OLTL: Nash Hottest Gal GH: Hard choice here. Emily and Elizabeth are both truly beautiful but so are Carly and Skye. Strangely, I don’t think of Sam as hot on the show but Kelly Monaco is amazing in person. Can’t they all be hottest? I can’t decide. OLTL: Evangeline Williamson Most Regrettable "Dropped Ball" in a Story GH: It’s amazing that a bad batch of condoms was responsible for 3 pregnancies but ELQ escaped repercussions for their negligence. Another niggling dropped ball had to be when Helena was holding pregnant Courtney hostage on a cot. Suddenly Courtney was free and it wasn’t mentioned again. Odd. Worst Sex GH: Hmm, worst sex scene or worst sex in context to the story? Worst sex had to Emily and Sonny. It made me uncomfortable. Worst sex in a story definitely goes to Sam and Ric. OLTL: Spencer and Blair each and every time. Best Friendship GH: Jason and Carly OLTL: Nash and Antonio because of its unexpectedness But mostly Katrina, Carolyn and the wonderful writers at EOS. If we were standing together you’d now see one big high five. Best Scene Stealer GH: Tie between Epiphany and Alice. If either of them is in a scene with lines, they own the scene. OLTL: If David Vickers was in a scene, he owned it. Favorite
Veteran Character GH: Luke and Jason. I think they both qualify. OLTL: Dorian Favorite Veteran Actor GH: If I could enjoy more Rick Springfield, I might choose him but since Tristan Rogers has been on more he gets my vote. Best Drunk GH: “Slam it, Lick it, Suck it” Girl’s night out. So Glad They Broke Up This Year... GH: Nikolas and Courtney. I couldn’t stand them. OLTL: I’d say Todd and Blair but its redundant because they work in cycles, break up and make up. Personally, I would appreciate a rest from Todd and Blair. Worst Scene GH: It wasn’t the worst; it was more of a short change. Laura wanted Christmas with her family. Why couldn’t they have written ONE segment of happy? Give me a music montage of happy Spencer’s snapping pictures with Mom by the Christmas tree. Pfft! Would ONE happy segment hurt them? I think not and it would have made me happy. OLTL: Worst scene as in hard to watch would be a toss up between watching Todd be executed and watching Jessica remember what Snyder did to her as a child. Worst scenes otherwise go to Adriana showing her small minded snotty side to Dorian. Even though Dorian fails at mother of the year, I always want to smack Adriana and tell her to have more respect for her mother. You’d think that answering questions about a show I watch every weekday would be easy but the more I pondered my answers the more I remembered. The more I remembered, the harder it was to make decisions. I finally had to surf through the ABC recaps site and take notes. So many standout scenes and bits of storylines aren’t included above so I feel a need to make a list of notables: Scenes that made me laugh: When Jason saw the monkey in his apartment and they sat on the couch together. Carly drinking with Lady Jane and playing a board game. Tracey and Robert tied up together in the freezer room at the Q’s by Alice, Lulu and Dillon. Luke, Robert delivering Skye’s baby with Lorenzo tied to a chair hollering orders. Max’s crush on Carly and going to therapy. Max and Milo arguing. Jason was shot in the leg and ended up in Liz’s studio once again. Sonny put the pressure on Liz, a nurse, to cut into Jason’s leg and remove the bullet. She succeeded and then Jason couldn’t seem to remember which leg to limp on. Tracey’s shock when she spotted an obviously coherent and healthy Laura in the hospital. Alexis smoking pot and declaring it’s lack of effect while Sam and Spinelli smirked. Scenes that touched me: Patrick and Robin didn’t merely provide medical attention to April the Aides patient; they gave her value as a human being again. Tracey counseling Lulu about having an abortion and supporting Luke as he supported Lulu. Sonny breaking up with Emily. Laura’s awakening and every bit that followed. Scenes that grabbed me and made me wonder what would happen next: Sonny asking Jason if he thought Sonny was ready to take back the business. Sam running to Jason on the balcony and getting shot in Jason’s arms. Luke telling Tracey he loved her. Sonny’s therapy sessions with Lainey. Oh please put a sock in his/her mouth: Robin declaring her rightness on any subject. Alexis refusing to see anyone else’s point of view and twisting conversations so that the other person’s opinion is wrong or doesn’t count. Ric’s complete lack of regard for Alexis’ cancer and how sick she feels. Great Scenes of folks being really bad: Ric working Sonny to make his breakdown worse. Manny preparing to tattoo Sam. Colleen drugging Nik and then kissing him. Great job: Lucky on drugs, trashing his life with Maxie. Maxie supplying Lucky with drugs and convincing herself that it’s all for love. The friendship that developed between Lulu and Carly. Alexis with lung cancer and still trying to control the lives of those around her. And finally, The Best Scenes of the Year:
Yum. ‘Nuff said. OLTL Couples I wish could have lasted forever: Lindsay and RJ Todd and Margaret (Kidding OK? Checking to see if you are paying attention.) David Vickers with Dorian Notable OLTL Scenes: Starr outside the prison while Todd was executed. Cristian giving blind Evangeline the confidence to be independent. Michael fires back at Marcie when she won’t let him propose marriage. David in the courtroom munching popcorn at Spencer’s trial. OLTL Characters who should interact more: Bo and Rex Todd and Viki David (if he was still around) and Viki Tess and Roxie Nora and RJ
Media Ho - Column: Confessions of a Media Ho Best Couple: AMC: David and Simone. Oh, they were never a couple? Too bad. They would have been sizzling (and would probably still be on the show). GH: Luke and Tracy. They rock. Best "Gotcha": AMC: Too bad we’re limited to 2006, or else I’d have said JR discovering Binks and Babe naked in bed together. For 2006…I’ll go with Jack discovering that Jonathan can speak without stammering. GH: Elizabeth walking in on Lucky and Maxie about to get it on. Best Storyline: AMC: So few choices…let’s take a deep breath and say it was the Mardi Gras Cataclysmic Event, which had the death of Ethan, Josh saving Erica, and Janet reappearing. GH: You would think the Luke and Laura reunion, but that was more of a disappointment. The flu outbreak at GH drove some good drama (with the exception of the Island adventures) and introduced me to a beautiful Sarah McLachlan song, “Answer.” Worst Couple: AMC: Babe and JR. She cheats, he tries to kill her. So many vows broken. GH: Alexis and Ric. He is lower than amoebas on fleas on rats. She deserves better. Most mindbendingly awful character: AMC: Toss-up between Colby and Sydney, but since we see more of Colby, she gets the prize. Even though she’s not one of the “women of Fusion,” I hope the serial killer plants a gardenia and ribbon on her STAT. GH: MaxieSlut. Spinelli was the runner-up, but he is slightly less vomit-inducing. Best New Character: AMC: Is there one? Umm…no. Not a one. GH: Epiphany, without a doubt. Lulu is a close second, but she was introduced right before the Cataclysmic Train Wreck, which took place last November. I do believe that predates Epiphany. Best New Actor: AMC: Again, the show gets a big goose egg in this category. GH: Sonya “Epiphany” Eddy. Worst Story: AMC: The entire Dr. Madden story, starting from stealing an embryo from Erica and ending with his death. We’ll also include the history rewrite that resulted from this story, with Erica now claiming she wanted the abortion because of the trauma of birthing Kendall at 14, not because she was so career-driven, as originally told. GH: LS-49. Best Recast: AMC: John James as Jeff Martin. GH: Did we have any recasts in 2006? I don’t think so, other than Stan, and that hardly counts. Again, I reach back to the tail end of 2005 and cast my vote for Laura Wright as Carly Corinthos. She deserves every accolade that comes her way. Worst Recast: AMC: Reggie Montgomery as Bobby Martin (locale change from Martin attic to basketball camp). GH: Umm, the new Stan? Best Return of a Departed Character: AMC: Zarf. No, just kidding. Adam’s gonads. No, still missing. Bianca. HELL, no. How about Palmer, when he flirted with KWAK and told Adam she was too good for him? Does that count? I need something to work with, people! GH: Anna’s spectacular return via helicopter was terrific. Unfortunately, as with the other wonderful legacy characters that returned – Robert, Holly and Laura – the return was woefully short. Worst Rewrite: AMC: As stated above, the rewrite of Erica’s abortion. GH: This new twist in the Rick Webber murder/death/character assassination. Biggest Waste of a Character: AMC: Three-way tie: Dr. David “Delicious” Hayward, Simone Torres, and Brooke English. Oh, they’re all gone. They’ll thrive elsewhere. Talent will out. GH: Robert Scorpio. Not only did he not have a role in Luke and Laura’s “wedding,” he didn’t even exchange as much as a “Welcome home, love” with her. He continues to be wasted. Biggest Waste of an Actor: AMC: See above (Vincent Irizarry, Terri Ivens and Julia Barr). GH: See above (Tristan Rogers). And let’s throw in Finola “Anna” Hughes, Emma “Holly” Samms, and Genie “Laura” Francis while we’re at it. Worst Wardrobed Character, Male or Female: AMC: Jamie needs a new stylist. GH: For some strange reason, wardrobe often dresses Carly in an unflattering outfit. Maybe they’re secretly Brenda fans. Biggest Bitch: AMC: Colby, without a doubt. GH: Another three-way: Maxie, Nanny Brow and Robin. Best Wedding: AMC: None of them. GH: Dillon and Georgie (plus fantasy dance sequence). Obviously, weddings were not ABC Daytime’s strongest moments in 2006. Most Wasted Opportunity for a Good Story: AMC: David Hayward. So much potential there. Such a good actor. So easy on the eyes… GH: Luke and Laura. Worst Nervous Habit in a Character/Actor: AMC: Erica rubbing her thighs. One day she’ll set them on fire, only for once, a man won’t be involved. GH: Jax’s blinking. One day he’ll set his eyelashes on fire. And that would be a shame. Best Guest Star: AMC: Jesse McCartney, a one-time JR Chandler. GH: Haven’t seen much of Rick Springfield this year, so he gets my vote. Biggest Wuss: AMC: Jonathan. From killer to wuss in less than a year. GH: Mac. He lets Maxie run wild, Felicia stay in Texas and Ric re-hire Lucky. Best Villain/ess: AMC: Janet From Another Planet. GH: HELENA. Most Missed Departure (What character should have been brought back and wasn't): AMC: Greenlee GH: Robert Scorpio, Anna Devane and Holly Scorpio. Oh, wait, they were? Was I there? Did I blink? Best "help" (someone's employee/worker on a soap): AMC: Winifred (the Chandler maid and unfortunate aunt of Sydney). GH: It’s a tie: Epiphany and Big Alice. Best Hair, Male: AMC: David Hayward. GH: Until recently, Scott “Dillon” Clifton. By default, Jason “Patrick” Thompson. Best Hair, Female: AMC: Susan “Erica” Lucci. GH: Laura “Carly” Wright, but not when they curl it. Best Makeover: AMC: Not applicable. GH: Not applicable. Most Ludicrous Oversight: AMC: The talented supporting cast. GH: The talented cast supporting Maurice “Sonny” Benard. They should have worked harder to keep ____________ AMC: Vincent Irizarry GH: Genie Francis They should have fired ______________ AMC: the writers. GH: the writers. Most Memorable Line: AMC: “You smelled bachelor blood and, as usual, came running like a dog to my scrap table.” – Erica to Brooke. GH: “Enduro. Jason’s loyal to the family brand.” Liz’s response when asked what kind of condom she and Jason used. Hottest Guy: AMC: David Hayward (sorry, but that’s how I feel). GH: Steve “Jason” Burton. Those few glimpses of various body parts we’ve been afforded earned him this title. Hottest Gal: AMC: Simone Torres. She even looked hot when laid out in the morgue. GH: Lulu Spencer and Sam McCall. Let Spinelli make the final call. Most Regrettable "Dropped Ball" in a Story: AMC: Uncle Porkchopsicle. We needed more of a story for Janet From Another Planet. Where was Timmy through all this? He had returned to Pine Valley a couple of years ago to donate some kind of necessary organic material to Hayley and Mateo’s baby, then disappeared. GH: Ha, ha, ha. Surely you jest? BRINGING BACK BELOVED VETERANS AND THEN NOT USING THEM! Worst Sex: AMC: Colby and Sean. GH: Ric and Sam. Weird, too, because Ric had super hot sex with Reese, and Sam seemed to have super hot sex with half of Port Charles. Best Friendship: AMC: Zach and Myrtle. GH: Alexis and Jax. Best Scene Stealer: AMC: Okay, I’m going with someone who has not recently been fired. Michael “Tad” Knight. He’s the master baiter. GH: It was Scott Clifton, before they neutered Dillon. So, by default, Tony “Luke” Geary. He’s really the all-time champion. Favorite Veteran Character: AMC: Erica Kane. GH: Luke Spencer. Favorite Veteran Actor: AMC: Susan Lucci. GH: Tony Geary Best Drunk: AMC: Adam and KWAK deserve this award for their drunken Pigeon Hollow nuptials. GH: Luke, no bout adoubt it. Especially when paired with Scorpio. So Glad They Broke Up This Year... AMC: Lily and Jonathan. All that sweetness was giving me diabetes. GH: Sonny and Emily. Ick. Worst Scene AMC: Dixie returns. GH: Sam and Ric having sex. Best Use of Music: AMC: Josh Groban’s “To Where You Are,” after the death of Baby Leora. Okay, it’s a few years old, but the first one that jumps into my head when thinking of AMC and best use of music. GH: “Both Sides Now” (Joni Mitchell) – near end of Luke and Laura story. Honorable Mention to “Answer” (Sarah McLachlan), at end of virus story (“…and so it ends”).
Katrina Rasbold - Column: As Easy As ABC Best Couple: GH: Tracy & Luke, OLTL: David and Dorian, AMC: Myrtle and Palmer, Simone and Ethan Best "Gotcha": AMC: When Zach whipped out a marriage license to take medical control of comatose Kendall. OLTL: Definitely the tight lid that OLTL kept on the fact that Trevor St John was not leaving the show and Todd was going to survive the execution. Although we suspected, it was well played. GH: When Sam is being all snotty to Alexis and she whips out on her, "I'm dying, I have stage 4 lung cancer." For the first time in her history on GH, someone said something that made Sam shut the hell up for five seconds and think of someone besides herself. It didn't last, of course, but ahhh, that was a golden moment. Talk about playing a trump card! Best Storyline: AMC: I have gone over the year of AMC three times and can't find a single storyline I liked. This was like asking which method of painful death would you like best? I'm going to say the Mardi Gras Gala blow up only because the acting was good, the costuming was good and the story fallout was good, although I really, really would have liked Ethan to stay around and give Simone longer than 4 minutes of happy. OLTL: I am almost in the exact same quandary with OLTL. I'll say the "John's alive" story, not because it was all that good (As Sage said, "TALK TO THE MUMMY!!"), but because it wasn't as bad as the rest. Honorable mention goes to Todd's Execution. Worst Couple: Do I really have to pick just one from each show? There are so many! This network has such a talent for putting together really, really bad couples. AMC: Julia and Anyone Whatsoever (and there were several whatsoevers). Babe and JR. Ryan and Annie. Agggh. OLTL: ADRIANA AND REX, Blair and Spencer, Kelly and Kevin, GH: Nikolas and Courtney, Sonny and Emily, Most mindbendingly awful character: AMC: Dixie, Colby, Annie, JR OLTL: Adriana, Blair, NuMarty, Claudia GH: Alexis, Sam, Emily, Maxie, Colleen Best New Character: AMC: Jeff (recast) Martin OLTL: Cole GH: Epiphany, Alfred, Milo Best New Actor: AMC: John James OLTL: Jerry VerDorn GH: Robert LaSardo Worst Story: AMC: Dixie's return OLTL: Adriana's fake stalker GH: Sonny's bi-polar diagnosis Best Recast: AMC: Jeff Martin OLTL: Clint Buchanan GH: Getting John Ingle back as Edward... not even a voice over to announce the change. Now THAT's respect! Worst Recast (On screen this year, not the actual recast happening this year): AMC: I desperately dislike Jacob Young as JR OLTL: Heather Tom as Kelly, as well as the rapid succession of Paiges who STILL stayed a boring character, proving it's the writers' fault. GH: Kirsten Storms as Maxie Best Return of a Departed Character: AMC: Jeff Martin with honorable mention to Janet Dillon OLTL: Clint Buchanan GH: Noah Drake (story please!!), Tristan Rogers and Laura Spencer (although I was never a Laura fan before) Worst Rewrite: AMC: Dixie is alive, not dead as we thought/hoped/felt safe in presuming OLTL: The poor juggling of the "Spencer is a Buchanan" story around Phil Carey's illness. I don't fault them for having to do a fast dance to make the story work, but listen, about anyone could have done a better job than was done. GH: Happened in a MILLISECOND!! OH NO! Boy are WE stupid! SAM wasn't SEDUCING Ric at all for those weeks! She is the VICTIM in that one night stand. Runner up is that suddenly Patrick was exposed to HIV from a contaminated needle rather than from a scalpel cut during surgery. HUH? Biggest Waste of a Character: AMC: David, Palmer OLTL: Roxy, RJ GH: Noah, Robert Biggest Waste of an Actor's Talent: AMC: Vincent Irizarry OLTL: Tuc Watkins - There's just never, ever enough David Vickers. Worst Wardrobed Character, Male or Female: AMC: Erica with all of the red, red, red with Lily going insane when she sees it. A little sensitivity, please Mr Wardrobe Department! OLTL: The integration of Tess and Jess was the best thing to happen to Jessica's wardrobe since she grew boobs. GH: Definitely Carly. Biggest Bitch: AMC: Dixie OLTL: Adriana GH: Maxie WTF Moment: AMC: JR pees on Josh; Erica stabbing Zach and then not caring that she did OLTL: Lindsay kisses Michael. Kevin screams at Kelly, tells her she wants a baby with Duke and forcefully wrenches the engagement ring from her finger. GH: When Sam treated Ric like shit after they slept together. Also Tracy telling Luke that she'd always noticed him or something like that. Tracy didn't give a rat's poopmaker about Luke back then. I was there, dammit. Lastly, those weird scenes were Dr Kim Lee was coming onto Patrick when she knew Robin had dibs, like when she offered him her services in the closet and laying all over him when he was sick at the apartment. That chick is fundamentally twisted and gives me the creeps way more than any of the "villainesses" like Nanny McCreepy or Crazy Mary (who I actually loved). Most Wasted Opportunity for a Good Story: AMC: Simone and Ethan OLTL: Margaret stays alive GH: The afterward of Patrick giving Noah his liver. Lots of room for story and character development there. Worst Nervous Habit in a Character/Actor: GH: Um, Um, Uh, Um, Uh... Best Guest Star: AMC: Jesse McCartney for that wonderful scene with Adam and JR Biggest Wuss: AMC: JR OLTL: Bruce for not killing Adriana GH: Jax for leaving Carly all the damned time. Just say "no," Jasper. Best Villain/ess: AMC: My beloved, unapologetic David Hayward OLTL: They were all terrible GH: Manny Most Missed Departure AMC: Liza to get her frickin kid. OLTL: Mitch Laurence or Carlo Hesser to show them how true villainy is wielded. GH: For the love of God, will they please kill Felicia so she has a reason not to be there when her daughter gets married, gets divorced, overdoses, has a "miscarriage?" Since we're KILLING Flea rather than bringing her back (because death makes much more sense in that situation - it's really the only excuse that works), I vote to bring back Faith Roscoe, please. Best "help" (someone's employee/worker on a soap) AMC: Val OLTL: Roxy can make me over any day, although I do dearly, dearly love Nigel! GH: Big Alice and Epiphany Best Hair, Male: AMC: David Hayward OLTL: David Vickers (must be the name) GH: Jason Morgan...I wunna tuchit Best Hair, Female: AMC: Kendall OLTL: Jessica GH: Skye Best Makeover: Jess into Tessica Most Ludicrous Oversight: AMC: That Jonathan should not be living where he killed Edmund OLTL: David Vickers never got his $2 million from Todd for helping him get Spencer behind bars GH: No interaction between Robert and Laura They should have worked harder to keep ____________ Me interested They should have fired ______________ The writers Most Memorable Line(s): Admittedly, there were a few I liked, so bear with me. AMC: "Have we met?" - Adam to Jesse McCartney, who previously played his son, JR "You haven't changed a bit." "I'll take that as a compliment." "Of course you will." - Jeff and Erica “I still dream about that one position.” David to Julia OLTL: "I told you, I was shooting blanks, just like Kevin Buchanan." - David "What fresh hell is this?" - Dorian, quoting Dorothy Parker "A man was executed here tonight for killing you. If he dies, it's going to change a lot of lives" Hugh to Margaret (You just don't get to say that very often) "Keep your friends close and your lunatics closer." David to Margaret "You're kind of hot when you're not wearing your crazy face." David to Margaret GH: "If I met your mother today, I'd probably kick her butt from here to Buffalo." Carly to Sonny “Well, you do have a particular aboriginal attraction.” Tracy to Robert (forrrr real!) “The more I scream at her, the more I want to take her clothes off.” Sonny to Lainey about Carly. "I don't like you because you kidnapped me and chained me to a wall." Carly to Ric "Believe what you want, just believe it somewhere else." Jason to Ric "...and now your done" Jason after Ric makes a huge, condescending speech to him "Oh come on, Annie, admit it. You're dying for a second shot at the goodies." "They weren't that good." Robert Scorpio and Anna Devane Hottest Guy: AMC: David Hayward OLTL: David Vickers GH: Steve Burton Hottest Gal: AMC: Kendall OLTL: Dorian GH: Skye Most Regrettable "Dropped Ball" in a Story: AMC: What did Josh do with his coffin? Make a coffin table from it and put coffin table books on it? where the complete hell is Reggie? OLTL: So...why didn't Hugh have a memorial service again? GH: What about Anna's investigation into Lorenzo? Worst Sex: Saturday morning! Yeek! Oh, sorry, on the show. Um.. AMC: I can't believe David was was Julia. I literally just shivered in repulsion. The kiddie pool was pretty doggoned bad. All in all, though, I have to put the deflowering of Colby as the worst. It was altogether creepy and unnecessary. OLTL: Every single time Adriana and Rex or Blair and Spencer did it. And there were lots. Ugh and the sex between Claudia and Nash. GH: Sonny and Emily with Emily's "orgasm toes." I do completely did not need to see that. Courtney and Nikolas were pretty bad too. Best Friendship: The true friendships I have cultivated here over the years at EOS. Best Scene Stealer: AMC: Have I mentioned David Hayward yet? Myrtle and Palmer too. OLTL: David Vickers GH: Big Alice. I live for Big Alice scenes. Favorite Veteran Character (On the show for more than 10 years): AMC: Palmer OLTL: Dorian GH: Luke Favorite Veteran Actor (Was first on the show more than 10 years ago): AMC: Eileen Herlie OLTL: Tuc Watkins (yes he was) GH: Rick Springfield So Glad They Broke Up This Year... AMC: Jack and Erica OLTL: Spencer and Blair GH: Sonny & Emily Worst Scene: AMC: Any one with a Carey, a Santos or Colby in it. Just pick one. OLTL: Natalie digging up that stupid grave to get a DNA sample when there was a Mummy, right there in bed, with pieces of flesh falling off of him for the taking. GH: Three words: Girls Night Out Favorite Scene: AMC: JR holding Krystal hostage, waving a gun around and shooting Dixie through the door. I was laughing my ass off. OLTL: Dorian and David making out in the powdered sugar. GH: Luke telling Tracy he loves her. Who else I'd love to see come back: AMC: Leo DuPres OLTL: Mel Hayes GH: Claire Labine Couples that should have been: AMC: Simone and David OLTL: Dorian and Rex (I'm sorry, but that would have been some GREAT drama! GH: Bobbie and Big Daddy John Biggest Mystery: AMC: Who WAS that amazing singer, known only as "studio artist" who sang, "How High the Moon" when the Mardi Gras Gala blew up? OLTL: WHO is really Paige's kid? GH: WHY couldn't they manage to write a good story for ANY of the veteran actors they brought back?
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