Lisa is an editor for Soap Central, and she has never watched soaps. She is not anti-soap, but has never watched much television and does not even have cable because it was never used. She does not watch the Emmy reels, but knows more about the soaps than she did when she first made predictions. Her information is all second-hand from reading content on Soap Central. Her initial predictions for the site were completely random, and she does all she can to continue being as random as possible. She does recognize there is a difference between the actors and the characters, but because she only reads about the soaps and doesn't watch, her votes are based on her feelings toward the role rather than the performer.
Previous Predictions
Previous Predictions
2014: 4 for 8
2013: 3 for 8
2012: 1 for 8
2011: 2 for 8
2010: 2 for 8
2009: 2 for 8
2008: 0 for 8
2007: 3 for 8
2006: 0 for 8
2005: 3 for 8
2004: 1 for 8
2003: 0 for 8
2002: 1 for 8
2001: 2 for 8
I find Christian LeBlanc's cancer story sad, and I have just wanted him to use his support network and use positive energy to help in his treatment and improve his chances of recovery, but I also know people who have kept a diagnosis very secret because of their own preference for extreme privacy. My personal frustration with the character's choices (and all my choices now are based on character behavior over a longer period of time than a clip) impact my choice, but really, I won't vote against Billy Miller as Billy Abbott. The Luke story dragged on forever before they revealed the complex twist, and as a reader only, while the twist was interesting, it wasn't soon enough to make up for the long buildup. Jason Thompson's character is overall positive to me, but doesn't have a current bad side that would make me root for him more.
Gina Tognoni might be doing a lovely job as Phyllis, but I have never cared for the character. Peggy McCay isn't on Days consistently, so even if her Emmy submission was fabulous, it surprises me that she is in the Lead category (although I might well have chosen her had she been in the Supporting category). I wonder how Caroline's dementia is going. It seems to have gone away or is only mentioned in passing. It has potential to be a wonderful long-term storyline, but it wouldn't have a happy ending. It would, however, resonate with many, many viewers who have see the slow and painful decline of a loved one.
I don't care for Ava Jerome, so I can't choose Maura West. I have issues with anyone who sleeps with someone who has slept with their child; although I realize characters sleeping with multiple members of the same family is a soap staple, it still makes me feel a bit icky. And like my brain should be cleansed in Purell. Laura Wright plays a Carly who can be a good bad girl, but that seems to be more in relation to her friends (and she seems like she is a great friend). However, she doesn't seem like a very good mother, so while she adds fun to the storylines at moments, I would feel guilty voting for her based on her parenting skills.
I did not pick Kristoff St. John because Neil's history reminds me of so many domineering men who demand their wives/girlfriends/partners do as they say rather than giving their loved one permission to be who they are and want to be, and then welcoming that other person as they are. I have read enough previous recaps that I know he made demands that the women in his life (such as Dru) could not make and still be happy, and he was angry with them for not obeying (and not being brave enough to admit they were not obeying). But if the word obeying even comes to mind, it's not someone who I can respect. So, Neil was out based on the history, even if he's a completely changed character now (and I was sympathetic to the blindness and the being cheated on thing).
That leaves Chad Duell. I don't dislike the character, and I definitely have sympathy for all he has been through in his short life (which is shorter than his age on the show and shorter than the actors age, courtesy of SORAS). He absolutely drew the short straw in the parenting department, so I can empathize with him snapping a bit (although if he'd killed anyone, I'd probably be less sympathetic. Honestly, we all have moments where we wish ill on someone, but we move past that).
I did attempt the Conrad test in this category, but it did not help with the decision. Conrad is a rescue cat who was given a name at the shelter. He doesn't respond to the name after over a year of living in my house, so I test various names on him to see if any resonate. I will totally vote for any character who has the name the cat answers to, but I have yet to find any name at all that works.
I would be happy if Lisa Locicero won for her fun submission, because I think fun makes the heavy stuff easier to bear. For Finola Hughes, I don't know if Anna has done anything recently that wowed me. I think mostly of locking Caesar Faison in the floor of a barn, and that just seems weird. While I chose Billy Miller for Lead Actor, I do find the frequency of child death disappointing, so I don't typically choose those characters, and therefore didn't pick Elizabeth Hendrickson. And I get a sense of sporadic underlying meanness from Victoria Newman, so I don't have a positive feeling toward her (which might change if I watched it, but it might not). I liked her with Billy Abbott, though, because she seemed softer. She just didn't stay with him (and I know he was a big factor in that, but without him, her meanness seems to break through more).
T.J. Ashford is not on very often, so I don't read much about him. I don't have a negative opinion of him, but I feel more neutral. I don't recall much he has done beyond dating Molly. Morgan Corinthos did not win big in the parenting department, and I realize much of his character's behavior stems from the parental role models, but it doesn't mean I have to admire his choices. I'm not sure he's made any that seemed wise. Fen Baldwin kind of vanished when he went to law school (impressive when you think of how recently he was born, but that's SORAS for you). He seems to have changed since he left, which is good, but I don't have enough recollection of his role from the past year to form an opinion.
The character of Kiki Jerome kind of annoys me, so I can't vote for Kristen Alderson. The same is true of the character of Gabriella Hernandez and her portrayer, Camila Banus. And Summer Newman. She had a rough year, but her underlying mean was still there, so I can't choose Hunter King. They all had good and bad moments, but overall, I have the most positive opinion of Molly Lansing as a character, and as I mentioned, Haley Pullos is adorable -- and she works with Dan, which is a win in my book (my book also wouldn't win any awards, but it isn't nominated).
The character of Maureen (Meredith Baxter) seemed like one that should have a longer stay on the show. The in and out brevity made me kind of forget she had been there. Constance (Sally Kellerman) never registered much on my radar screen. She was background to the Adam/Sage drama. Madeline Reeves (Donna Mills) kind of had a hint of the Nina level of crazy, which gave a bit of insight into Nina, but didn't leave a major impact in my mind. Rosalie Martinez (Linda Elena Tovar) seems more like a regular character to me. Not a full-time or often-seen regular character, but she doesn't seem like a guest performer. And John Forrester (Fred Willard) seemed like he might have been fun, but I don't have strong memories.
So, based on the long-term impact on my memory (and his evilness), I chose Ray Wise's Ian Ward.
