Liz (lizincinti) is a moderator for all three ABC soaps on the Soap Central message board forums and does weekly recaps. She loves all soaps but her heart belongs to ABC. Her earliest memories are of watching General Hospital with her mother back in the days of Luke and Laura. This is Liz's fifth go-round as an Emmy prognosticator -- and she's back this year to see if she can up her total of correct picks.
Previous Predictions 2011: 3 for 8
2010: 0 for 8
2009: 3 for 8
2008: 3 for 8
2007: 2 for 8
It's that time of year when I get to make my predictions for who will win in each category. I love doing this, but I fear I'm not always accurate, so I'm going to try something new. I'm going to pick who I think should win, and who I predict will win. They aren't always the same. Let's start with Outstanding Drama Series. In this category, I think that All My Children should win. As the show drew to a close, we saw some wonderful performances, and shocking twists that begged the question of why ABC decided to end this wonderful soap. However, the show that I predict will win is General Hospital, because both episodes were absolutely heart-wrenching to watch. Each performance was powerful. Jake's death and organ donation to save a little girl's life, and Luke's intervention after it was revealed that he had killed his grandson while driving under the influence, are what soaps are all about.
This was a difficult category to choose, because I enjoyed each of the performances. That is the point though, isn't it? Who I think should win is Darnell Williams, because he was faced with a horrible choice: tell his beloved wife that their daughter was stillborn, or give her the child she longed for. I don't think that I will ever forget the scenes of him weeping over the loss of his daughter, or later, when he buried her in the park. However, I predict that Anthony Geary will win, because Luke's drinking problem had been years in the making, and involved Luke accepting that his drinking had hurt relationships and led to the death of his grandson.
Hands down, the performance that truly moved me was Debbi Morgan's. I can't imagine any viewer being unmoved by Angie's reaction when her husband took her to their infant daughter's unmarked grave, and she was faced with the reality that little Ellie had been stillborn. My eyes sting with tears even now, as I write this. I have to ask again, why was this soap cancelled?
The odds are pretty high that a GH actor is going to walk away with the Emmy in this category, since four out of the five choices are GH actors. I'm not sure why Jonathan Jackson submitted the episode that he did, because Anthony Geary stole the scenes when Lucky told Luke that Luke was the one who had killed Jake in a hit-and-run. Bradford Anderson is a wonderful actor, but the whole Jackal storyline was cartoonish, and became a bit annoying as it dragged on. I'm a huge fan of Jason Thompson, but again, the episode submitted wasn't his most compelling of the year. It really boils down to two performances in this category, because both were outstanding and, ironically, dealt with similar posttraumatic stress. I love Sean Blakemore, and look forward to seeing more of his work, but I think the winner here will be Matthew Ashford.
Who will win: Matthew Ashford (Jack Deveraux, Days of our Lives)
It's really hard to pick the best of the best, especially when you have two storylines dealing with children battling for their lives. This is going to be a close call between Elizabeth Hendrickson and Rebecca Herbst, but I predict that the one to walk away with the Emmy will be Rebecca Herbst, because her performances following Jake's hit-and-run, and the decision to take him off of life support and donate his organs, were gut-wrenching. There was anger, heartbreak, self-loathing, and profound grief. I recall thinking, as I watched those scenes unfold, "She should get an Emmy for this."
Who will win: Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth Webber, GH)
This category has three great contenders: Eddie Alderson, Chad Duell, and Chandler Massey. All three performances were fantastic. Who I think should win is Chandler Massey, because it was the fear of revealing what was going on with him that made this so compelling to watch. However, I think that ultimately, Chad Duell will walk away with the Emmy, because it's not everyday that a man confesses to being raped. Many viewers suspected that it had happened, but it was still shocking to hear it confirmed. Chad played these scenes to absolute perfection.
Who will win: Chad Duell, (Michael Corinthos III, GH)
Unplanned pregnancies, secrets, breakdowns, and heartbreak...this category had it all. Who I think should win is Christel Khalil, because I found her performance to be most compelling, but I suspect that in the end Shelley Hennig will win this category, because her performance had the most twists.
Who will win: Shelley Hennig (Stephanie Johnson, Days of Our Lives)
I would love to see All My Children win this category for sentimental reasons, and to send those at ABC a message. However, I don't think it will. Days of Our Lives's submission had the most going on, with stolen kisses, a maternity reveal, and flashbacks of torture. I think that Days of Our Lives should get the win, but I suspect that General Hospital will walk away as the winner, because it submitted Luke's intervention, which had powerful performances from everyone involved in that storyline.
I think that The Bold and the Beautiful did a wonderful thing by having real-life people share their experiences growing up in the foster care system, but I don't think that it will be the winner of this category. I'd love to see One Life to Live win, again, to send ABC and, everyone else who thought that cancelling two great soap operas was a good idea, a strong message. The winner of this category should be The Young and the Restless, because that episode was wonderfully directed, but I suspect that General Hospital will snag the Emmy, because Luke's intervention had it all.
Who will win: General Hospital
PICKS AT A CLICK (Check an overview of all our panelists' picks)
MIKE BRADFORD (Soap Central recapper)
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LISA SVENSON (Soap Central editor/Non-soap viewer)
Related Information
The Nominees: Find out who is nominated this year.
The Pre-Nominees: Which performers threw their hats into the ring?
Our Predictions: Soap Central experts pick who they think will win Emmy gold.
The Emmy Archive:Find out who has won Emmys in the past.
News and More: Return to Soap Central's FrontPage
