And the envelopes, please: TV Guide Canada is proud to announce our first annual Soap Opera Spirit Award winners. Not too surprisingly, comeback soap, One Life to Live swept the awards with seven well-deserved wins, while The Bold and the Beautiful trailed with four trophies. The awards were chosen by the editors of TVGuide.ca, while the nominees were compiled by Nelson Branco. The 2008 awards’ eligibility time frame consisted of work aired during the 2007 calendar year. Unlike the Daytime Emmy Awards, SOS winners (quite the ironic acronym, huh?) were not chosen for specific episodes submitted, but instead were judged on an entire year’s work. Awards will be sent to the winners in the very near future, and winners will be registered on IMDB.com. Once the Spirit Award is designed, we will post our trophy’s debut in an upcoming Suds Report. TVGuide.ca is hoping to get next year’s award show aired; details will be made available as they happen. If anyone is interested in airing them, please contact us. Below, we unveil the winners, network and show tallies, along with our tributes to B&B’s writer Patrick Mulcahey, and the late, great Darlene Conley. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!
Network tally:
CBS — 9 wins
ABC — 8 wins
SoapNet — 1 win
NBC — 0
The Big Winners:
One Life to Live — 7
The Bold and the Beautiful — 4
As The World Turns — 3
General Hospital — 1
Guiding Light — 1
The Young and the Restless — 1
General Hospital: Night Shift — 1
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS
General Hospital, ABC
One Life to Live, ABC
“Thank you to TV Guide Canada and the editors for honoring One Life to Live. We thank you and our loyal fans for following us on our journey everyday in Llanview and wherever else the story takes us. We take great pride in creating a show that is filled romance, fun and a huge dose of drama. The One Life to Live family is a dedicated team that is constantly inspired to raise the stakes of storytelling and production to bring our fans the best show possible. Thank you again for your continued and enthusiastic support of One Life to Live.” — Executive Producer Frank Valentini
OUTSTANDING HEAD WRITER
The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS — Bradley Bell
General Hospital, ABC — Robert Guza
One Life to Live, ABC — Ron Carlivati
“I'd like to thank the editors of TV Guide Canada for this incredible honor, especially Nelson Branco for his unwavering support of the show. Special thanks also to Brian Frons, Sue Johnson, Frank Valentini, and the entire cast and crew of One Life to Live — truly the best in daytime. Lastly, and most importantly, a big shout-out to our fans — you are the definition of spirit and we are so lucky to have you. I share this award with my writing team, who stood together during a very difficult time. Their strength and their talent inspire me every day.”
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING TEAM
Days of Our Lives, NBC
General Hospital, ABC
General Hospital: Night Shift, SOAPnet
One Life to Live, ABC
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS
Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan, B&B)
Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester, B&B)
Deidre Hall (Marlena Black, Days)
Beth Ehlers (Harley Cooper/Irna Phillips, GL)
Gina Tognoni (Dinah Marler, GL)
Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman, Y&R)
“Thank you so much for this prestigious honor. It is particularly thrilling to receive your recognition for work that was such a delight to play. Many thanks to the editors, and congratulations to all the nominees and winners.”
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR
Jon Hensley (Holden Snyder, ATWT)
Jack Wagner (Nick Marone, B&B)
Ricky Paull Goldin (Gus Aitoro, GL)
Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, GH)
Trevor St. John (Todd Manning, OLTL)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS (tie)
Terri Colombino (Katie Peretti, ATWT)
Martha Madison (ex-Belle Black, Days)
Leann Hunley (Anna DiMera, Days)
Jane Elliot (Tracy Quartermaine, GH)
Catherine Hickland (Lindsay Rappaport, OLTL)
Kathy Brier (Marcie “Sally Ann’ McBain, OLTL)
“Thanks, eh! From your lips to God’s ears and from God's ears to the writers’ pens. I receive it with all of my heart and soul. I am honored right down to my toes!” — Hickland
“Thank you to the editors of TV Guide Canada. There is no one else better to share this honor with than Catherine Hickland because I look up to her so much. She is an amazing actress. Thank you.” — Brier
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
Trent Dawson (Henry Coleman, ATWT)
Jay Kenneth Johnson (Philip Kiriakis, Days)
Robert S. Woods (Bo Buchanan, OLTL)
Phil Carey (ex-Asa Buchanan, OLTL)
Ben Masters (Julian Crane, Passions)
OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTRESS
Alexa Havins (ex-Babe Carey, AMC)
Alexandra Chando (ex-Maddie Coleman, ATWT)
Kirsten Storms (Maxie Jones, GH)
Julie Marie Berman (Lulu Spencer, GH)
Marcy Rylan (Lizzie Spaulding, GL)
Brittany Underwood (Langston Wilde, OLTL)
"It's an honor to be able to do what I love, and be recognized amongst so many talented actors. Thank you for this!"
OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTOR
Mick Hazen (Parker Snyder, ATWT)
Daniel Manche (J.J. Snyder, ATWT)
Van Hansis (Luke Snyder, ATWT)
Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan Randall, GL)
Eddie Alderson (Matthew Buchanan, OLTL)
OUTSTANDING FEMALE GUEST STAR OR RECURRING ACTRESS
Betty White (Ann Douglas, B&B)
Kristina Wagner (Felicia Jones, GH)
Finola Hughes (Anna Devane, GH)
Orlagh Cassidy (Doris Wolfe Spaulding, GL)
Ilene Kristen (Roxy Balsom, OLTL)
Tonja Walker (ex-Alex Olanov Vickers, OLTL)
OUTSTANDING MALE GUEST STAR OR RECURRING ACTOR
Daniel Hugh Kelly (ex-Winston Mayer, ATWT)
Patrick Duffy (ex-Stephen Logan, B&B)
Stuart Damon (Alan the Ghost, GH)
Tuc Watkins (ex-David Vickers, OLTL)
Peter Bartlett (Nigel Bartholomew-Smythe, OLTL)
OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A NEW ROLE OR RECAST
Austin Peck (Brad Snyder, ATWT)
Kyle Lowder (Rick Forrester, B&B)
John Brotherton (Jared Banks, OLTL)
Daniel Goddard (Cane Ashby, Y&R)
Eric Steinberg (ex-Ji Min Kim, Y&R)
“I am honored and humbled especially considering that I was waiting tables seven months ago! I have to give credit to the amazing people that surround me everyday in Llanview. I couldn't be more excited. Thank you.”
OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A NEW ROLE OR RECAST
Alley Mills (Pam Douglas, B&B)
Heather Tom (Katie Logan, B&B)
Jennifer Gareis (Donna Logan, B&B)
Carolyn Hennesy (Diane Miller, GH)
BethAnn Bonner (Talia Sahid, OLTL)
“I am super-excited! Thank you so much for this award! I am beyond grateful! Canadians rule.”
OUTSTANDING CASTING DIRECTION
The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS
General Hospital, ABC
General Hospital: Night Shift, SOAPnet
One Life to Live, ABC
The Young and the Restless, CBS
“Creating a family for Stephanie was a great trip backwards in time. This genre gives us the gift of time travel and volume, so even after 20 years, a character's behavior can be explored in terms of elements that are not new to the character, but are new to the viewers.” - Executive Producer/Head Writer Bradley Bell
“This is such an honor. Thanks to TV Guide. The characters that the writers gave me this past year were just so great. So rich and unusual. It was a lot of fun bringing them to life through casting.” - Casting Director Christy Dooley
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A DUO
Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann (Luke and Noah, ATWT)
Terri Colombino and Austin Peck (Katie and Brad, ATWT)
Katherine Kelly Lang and Susan Flannery (Brooke and Stephanie, B&B)
Kim Zimmer and Bradley Cole (Reva and Jeffrey, GL)
Marcy Rylan and Jordan Clarke (Lizzie and Billy, GL)
Tuc Watkins and Erika Slezak (ex-David and Viki, OLTL)
Robin Strasser and Erika Slezak (Dorian and Viki, OLTL)
THE IRNA PHILLIPS SPIRIT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE SERIAL ART FORM
The Bold and the Beautiful’s Patrick Mulcahey, Writer
Widely considered the best dialogue writer in the business, Patrick Mulcahey has elevated the level of writing in soap operas to new artistic heights during the span of his illustrious career. A four-time Daytime Emmy and three-time WGA winner, his scripts are stamped with his unique style and inspiring insights into his characters — consistently delivering a combination of emotional subtext, irony, heart, humanity, and of course, reverence for the genre. In short, this remarkable scribe personifies the soap opera spirit. Having written B&B’s outstanding 5,000th episode last year, Mulcahey solidified his place in daytime history as the William Shakespeare of daytime TV. His other remarkable contributions in soaps include the creation of General Hospital’s Carly Benson, and penning the glory days of Santa Barbara, most notably the critically lauded Mason and Julia romance, as well as memorable moments on Guiding Light and Texas. Congratulations!
“After 28 years [with some time off — not for good behavior] of toiling in the daytime trenches, this is a very gratifying honor. Usually it seems nobody notices who writes what on soaps, let alone the work of the scriptwriter. Sometimes I think that's okay. One thing my late friend and writing partner Doug Marland taught me was that bad dialogue can be good dialogue if there's little enough of it. But other times I have felt the power of shaping the scene and the words and the space around the words which is the life our characters breathe and inhabit. Sometimes I have felt I have done a good job, that I have understood why what we are doing matters, that our single theme, which is intimacy, is worth all the care and anxiety and reflection I have devoted to it.”
“I have to confess, I don't have any idea what Irna Phillips would think of me. I suspect she would kick my butt around the block; I am not very good at following directions, and she was a very directed and directive writer, by reputation. But I do revere the medium she created and the impulse in her that gave it life, such a long durable life too. I thank TV Guide Canada and Mr. Branco for their close attention to what we are doing, and for the improbable unlooked-for honor of their paying such close attention to me.”
THE DOUGLAS MARLAND MEMORIAL AWARD
Darlene Conley (Sally Spectra, B&B)
The raven-haired diva’s acting career has spanned fifty years, but she was best known for her Emmy Award-nominated portrayal of larger-than-life fashion industrialist Sally Spectra on The Bold and the Beautiful, a role she created in 1988 until her untimely death on Jan. 14, 2007. Born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, Conley, who was from Irish-American descent, got her start in show business in the late 1950s traveling with the theater group, The Chicago Uptown Circuit Players and Playwrights Company. Conley’s big break came when she landed a part in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, which led to work on cult films, Valley of the Dolls and Lady Sings the Blues.
Conley’s soap career began when daytime legend, William Bell cast the divine actress as Rose DeVille in 1979 on The Young and the Restless; and later in her iconic role as Sally Spectra, which earned her two Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmy Award nominations. B&B dedicated its Jan. 26, 2007 episode to the actress.
B&B’s executive producer and head writer Bradley Bell defended his bold, yet beautiful decision to keep Sally Spectra alive off-screen as a tribute to Conley. “It’s what she would have wanted,” he told TV Guide last year. “Knowing that Sally is traveling around Europe with her entourage of sexy cabana boys provides some relief to all of us in mourning.” On-screen, Sally's absence has been explained by having her son CJ tell his father, Clarke, that Sally had taken a permanent vacation in St. Tropez. In late 2007, Sally decided to sell her fashion house to Nick and Jackie Marone.
Unforgettable and irreplaceable, Conley's joie de vivre, talent, and spirit will be dearly and sorely missed.
“Darlene's voice and brilliant presence filled up the senses. She filled up the screen. Her performances were so intriguing. They struck just the right balance between elegance and camp, between class and outrageousness. It was my pleasure to be able write for Sally and Darlene, both of whom can never be replaced.” - Bell
Nelson Branco is a Toronto freelance entertainment journalist, who regularly contributes to Hello! Canada, The National Post, The Los Angeles Times' theenvelope.com, TV Guide USA, tvguide.com, Inside Entertainment, OUT, and In Touch Weekly, along with covering soaps for TVGuide.ca. He got his professional start in 1997 as Senior News Editor at Soap Opera Update, and has freelanced for Soap Opera Weekly, where he interned in 1994, and Soaps In Depth.
