OLTL's Mark Lawson wins Best Hunk

OLTL's Mark Lawson won the 2008 Best Hunk award Thursday night as the 10th Annual Soaphunks.net Award winners were announced, marking the first time in history that a newcomer has won the top award in his freshman year. Of his leading (and record-tying) eight nominations, Lawson also won the awards for Hunkiest Newcomer and Best Chest.

Also winning three trophies was B&B's Brandon Beemer, who won all of his categories except the top one. Beemer took Best Pecs, Best Abs, and Best Eyes, meaning he repeated all of his wins from 2007 while on DAYS. Beemer's wins in 2008 mark the first awards in history for B&B, which finally scored after receiving 28 total nominations.

Lawson and Beemer were the only soap hunks to win more than one trophy in 2008.

OLTL was named the year's Hunkiest Soap, the first time that sudser has won that award after six tries. It was only the second time ever that an ABC soap won Hunkiest Soap, following AMC's win in 2005.

In his first year ever as a nominee, classic soap hunk Shawn Christian of DAYS won for Best Hunk Over 40, meaning that for the first time, a single soap has now produced a winner in every single category of the Soaphunks.net Awards, as DAYS claimed a prize in the only category in which it was lacking a win.

DAYS also took the award for Most Missed Soap Hunk for its alum (and 2003 Best Hunk winner) Eric Winter. Winter has logged appearances on several primetime series this year, and he also won this category last year.

In a somewhat amazing turn of events, DAYS' James Scott, the Best Hunk winner the past two years, only converted one of his three nominations into a win in 2008. Scott easily won again for Best Voice, three-peating in a category that only he has won since its debut in 2006. Scott may have only nabbed one win this year, but one was enough to tie him with AMC's Cameron Mathison for the most Soaphunks.net Award wins ever, with 11 each.

In the narrowest margin of victory in Soaphunks.net Award history, ATWT's Van Hansis won Best Butt by one vote over Y&R's Joshua Morrow (22.73% to 22.59%). Similarly, OLTL's John-Paul Lavoisier eked out a razor-thin win for Best Hair over PAS' three-time champ Galen Gering (28.04% to 27.90%). The win was Lavoisier's first since 2002. Gering's narrow loss also meant that PAS would officially finish its awards run with no new wins, giving it a series total of 96 nominations and 22 wins.

GH scored a trophy for three of its hunks. Two-time Adonis runner-up and 2005 Best Hunk winner Greg Vaughan upset James Scott to win Most Shamefully Clothed for the second time. His co-star Steve Burton flexed his muscles in the Best Arms category with his second career win, following a victory for Best Pecs in 2003. Jason Thompson won Best Smile, an award he previously won in 2006.

Thompson fell in his other category, Best Face, to ATWT's now-fired Dylan Bruce. Bruce's win marks the first time that a CBS actor has won in that category.

Overall, OLTL won a leading five awards, followed by B&B, DAYS, and GH with three each. ATWT won two, while AMC, GL, PAS, and Y&R were shut out.

Among networks, ABC had eight wins, with CBS taking five and NBC three.

And yes, once again, Y&R's Thad Luckinbill went home empty-handed. His two losses leave him with 16 career nominations and no wins.

For the complete race-by-race results this year, visit http://soaphunks.net/awards-year.php?year=2008.

Engen stalled; Driscoll done

The economic woes of the country continue to have trickle down to daytime television, and apparently CBS isn’t quite finished tightening its purse strings. Hot on the heels of the ouster of Y&R's legendary soap hunk Don Diamont comes word that the ratings leader is also letting 2008 Hunkiest Newcomer nominee Chris Engen go, along with Vail Bloom and Michael Gross.

Over at GL, sexy John Driscoll, nominated for Hunkiest Newcomer in 2004, has reportedly been given the pink slip. The exit is rumored to be permanent for his character, “Coop” Bradshaw. E.J. Bonilla and Kane Manera are also out, along with Bonnie Dennison and Caitlin Van Zant.

Awards roundtable!

The ballot for the 10th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards has been up for a week now, so I thought it would be fun to have three of my site's contributors (Jason, DC, and Soapgal) hold a roundtable in which they discuss the nominations, explain why certain nominees got their votes, and predict the winners in each race. I was not present for this threesome, so the trio could speak freely and honestly. We'll see how smart they were on Thursday, December 18, when the winners are revealed live at soaphunks.net/chat.

If you haven't voted yet, please do so at soaphunks.net/vote by Thursday, December 11. Henecewith, the transcript of their online meeting:

Jason: So, did you both vote?
DC: Yes.
Soapgal: Not quite. I made my choices, but I haven't submitted my ballot yet.
Jason: The evidence swayed me in some instances.
Jason: Who I thought I would vote for didn't end up necessarily holding true.
Soapgal: Ah.
DC: The evidence swayed me in some categories too, but I still pretty much went with favorites in most instances.
Soapgal: Me too.

Jason: So, what did you think of the Best Face category?
Soapgal: Some great choices, but I went with Dylan Bruce.
Jason: I was torn on this one after the evidence. I ended up voting for Brandon Barash.
DC: For me, it was really between John-Paul Lavoisier and Jason Thompson. I think they both have great smiles, which show off their faces well. In the end I went with Thompson. The dimples swayed me.
Soapgal: Yes. It came down to Dylan Bruce and Jason Thompson for me, too.
Jason: Wow, so we all three voted for someone different. Who do you think will ultimately win that one?
DC: That's hard to say, too.
Soapgal: Yeah. I think Brandon Barash has a good chance, as does Jason Thompson.
DC: I think Jason Thompson is the most popular around the Net, but this could be a nice toss-up category.
Soapgal: True.
Jason: I am thinking one of the GH guys will win, probably Jason Thompson.
DC: Right. GH has a nice fanbase who vote for their guys.
Soapgal: Exactly.
DC: I think it might come down to Brandon Barash or Jason Thompson.
Soapgal: I agree.
Jason: But you guys can't predict between the two of them?
Soapgal: If i had to choose one, I'd say Jason Thompson.
DC: Well if I had to predict only one, I would say Jason Thompson.

BEST FACE	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Barash	Jason Thompson
DC	Jason Thompson	Jason Thompson
Soapgal	Dylan Bruce	Jason Thompson

Jason: What about Best Eyes?
Soapgal: My pick was Sterling Sulieman. I like picking one who doesn't have blue or green eyes.
DC: Oh, my pick here was easy after looking at the evidence. I went in thinking I was going to vote for Mark Lawson, whom I adore...but then the guy below him popped up. Sterling Sulieman has the cutest eyes of the bunch and got my vote.
Jason: The guy with the most stunning eyes for me continues to be Brandon Beemer, even after looking at the evidence.
Jason: I think all five deserve to be there, but Beemer got my vote.
DC: They are all great nominees.
Soapgal: I agree. All five have great eyes.
Jason: It's hard to say who will win here. It could be the Steve Burton supporters, since he's not nominated in many categories.
Jason: I'd say it's between Burton and Beemer, but this time my pick (Beemer!) will come out on top.
DC: I agree with you there. If Mark Lawson's got the support, he could pull off a win here, but if I had to absolutely predict, I would go with Steve Burton.
Soapgal: True. I also think Beemer has a great chance, given his DAYS and B&B fans.
Jason: Is Beemer your prediction then, Soapgal?
Soapgal: Yeah, why not?

BEST EYES	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer
DC	Sterling Sulieman	Steve Burton
Soapgal	Sterling Sulieman	Brandon Beemer

Jason: I have a feeling we may all be in agreement about Best Voice.
Soapgal: Really?
DC: LOL, anyone who knows me knows that my No. 1 favorite soap hunk is in this category, so he was going to get my vote. It helps that his sexy voice is one of the reasons I love him. Aiden Turner is my choice.
Jason: LOL...Yes, I know you two have an affection for a certain Brit, who has NOT won an Adonis title.
Soapgal: That's right!
Soapgal: Jason, is he your pick also?
Jason: Yep, I was the evidence gatherer for this category, so I listened to all five guys drone on for a long time. Ultimately, Aiden Turner's voice is sexiest to me.
Soapgal: Woohoo! DC, we converted him!
DC: Yes! Hopefully it will catch on with other voters this year! Although I doubt it.
Jason: I would be awfully surprised if the general public doesn't vote for James Scott, however. Especially given that he's not nominated in as many categories as some people expected. I hope he'll still be around in daytime to be on the ballot next year!
Soapgal: Yeah, if James Scott doesn't win this in a landslide, I'd be shocked.
DC: Oh, James Scott is definitely my prediction.
Soapgal: I hope Aiden at least comes in second.
DC: Aiden usually comes in second behind James here. James Scott has a wonderful voice, I should mention that. It's always a worthy win for him.
Soapgal: True, he is deserving.

BEST VOICE	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Aiden Turner	James Scott
DC	Aiden Turner	James Scott
Soapgal	Aiden Turner	James Scott

Jason: Who has the smile that makes your hearts melt?
DC: Well Jason, that's Aiden Turner again, but he's not in this category!
Soapgal: Amen!
Jason: Okay, we've moved on people!
Soapgal: LOL.
DC: This was another category that really swayed me from the evidence. I thought I was gonna go with Jason Thompson's dimples again, but I ended up voting for Daniel Goddard, although this was another one that I thought had really deserving nominees.
Soapgal: I ended up going with Jason Thompson. The dimples did it for me. And yes, I agree DC.
Jason: DC, the same thing happened for me!
Jason: I thought sure I'd vote for Jason Thompson, but I ended up voting for Daniel Goddard based on evidence.
DC: Daniel Goddard has a smile that makes you want to smile...it's hard to describe.
Jason: We must have found a convincing picture or two!
Soapgal: LOL.
DC: He's got that sweet yet mischevious thing down.
Jason: My guess is that Dimples Thompson will ultimately win, however.
DC: I don't know. I think we could get a dark horse winner here.
Jason: I think that when people think smile, they think Jason Thompson.
Soapgal: He has a great chance, but I wouldn't underestimate Shawn Christian.
Jason: Who are you thinking, DC?
DC: I was thinking Shawn Christian could sneak in and take this one.
Soapgal: Yeah, he may have lots of DAYS fan support.
Jason: Interesting! We shall see.
DC: It would be a great win for Goddard, but Christian is my prediction.
Soapgal: Yeah, he's my prediction, too.

BEST SMILE	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Daniel Goddard	Jason Thompson
DC	Daniel Goddard	Shawn Christian
Soapgal	Jason Thompson	Shawn Christian

Jason: What about Best Hair? In this category, the evidence did not change my mind. John-Paul Lavoisier has the best locks in my humble opinion.
Soapgal: Mine too, despite the way his hair looks right now.
DC: It was immediately down to two for me, because two of my favorites are here, Lavoisier & Thad Luckinbill, who ironically have similar hairstyles these days. I went with Luckinbill who is the better underdog, despite his Susan Lucci awards status on soaphunks.net. 16 nominations and no wins ever!
Soapgal: LOL, so true.
Jason: Yes, I wanted to give a pity vote to Thad Luckinbill, just because he's the Susan Lucci of soaphunks.net, but I decided to vote totally based on evidence all the way through. And that meant JPL.
DC: I love his hair anyway, but I gave him a sentimental nod over my other favorite JPL
Jason: I think Galen Gering could be the dark horse here. He's my prediction for the winner.
Soapgal: That would be interesting. he would have some days fans
Jason: And some Passions love lingering around. Who do you predict, Soapgal?
Soapgal: true. he's my pick to win, too
Jason: Gering?
Soapgal: Yep.
DC: JPL is my prediction, despite the other nominees (two DAYS guys here).

BEST HAIR	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	John-Paul Lavoisier	Galen Gering
DC	Thad Luckinbill	John-Paul Lavoisier
Soapgal	John-Paul Lavoisier	Galen Gering

Jason: Gun Show time! Who did you vote for in Best Arms? Lots of competition here, but Mark Lawson got my vote.
Soapgal: David Fumero for me!
DC: I voted for Mark Lawson here. No-brainer for me. With or without the evidence, I think Lawson's arms look amazing.
Jason: I agree, DC.
DC: BUT I think that this category is anybody's game and I think we'll have a surprise winner.
Soapgal: I hope so. I think Steve Burton will win. Eric Martsolf has a great chance, too.
Jason: I think Steve Burton once again could take it, and his guns are better than any firearm that Jason Morgan carries.
Soapgal: LOL.
DC: I'm going to predict Mark Lawson here.

BEST ARMS	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Mark Lawson	Steve Burton
DC	Mark Lawson	Mark Lawson
Soapgal	David Fumero	Steve Burton

Jason: One of my favorite categories is next, Best Butt!
Soapgal: It's one of my favorites this year, too. LOL
Jason: No contest for me here. John-Paul Lavoisier in those blue briefs? YUM! A derriere to die for!
Soapgal: Aiden Turner for me!
DC: I actually voted against Aiden here (shocker)!
Jason: Wow!
Soapgal: Wow indeed!
DC: The tushie of John-Paul Lavoisier cannot be denied, and the evidence reflects that perfectly. He brings new meaning to the word bubble butt.
Jason: I agree, and I predict Sexy Rexy for the win as well.
DC: This is definitely gonna be a shocker, since there's no large fanbase nominee (no DAYS or GH). Also no nude nominee, which has helped some in the past.
Soapgal: I think JPL has the best chance, also.
DC: I predict JPL as well.
Jason: We all agree once again!
DC: That increases the possibility of us all being wrong. LOL
Soapgal: LOL

BEST BUTT	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	John-Paul Lavoisier	John-Paul Lavoisier
DC	John-Paul Lavoisier	John-Paul Lavoisier
Soapgal	Aiden Turner	John-Paul Lavoisier

Jason: So, whose abs would you wash your clothes on?
DC: For abs, I voted for Dylan Bruce..."wow" was the word that came to mind the first time I ever saw him shirtless and ever since.
Soapgal: Dylan Bruce got my vote, but this is one of those categories where they're all equally qualified.
DC: I agree, soapgal. But despite his amazing abs, I doubt Dylan Bruce will win. I have a feeling it will come down to Brandon Beemer or Mark Lawson.
Soapgal: Yeah and it's a shame. Dylan is (was) a fine, fine soap hunk.
DC: Agreed.
Jason: I relied solely on the evidence for this category. And, ultimately, I found Brandon Beemer to have a slight edge when it came to abs.
Soapgal: I think Beemer will win this category.
Jason: I also predict Beemer.
DC: Abs is one of those subjective categories because of the shape and tone of abs as a whole. It can be a matter of opinion.
Jason: That's very true, DC.
DC: But I predict Beemer as well.

BEST ABS	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer
DC	Dylan Bruce	Brandon Beemer
Soapgal	Dylan Bruce	Brandon Beemer

Jason: Best Pecs was equally as tough for me. And again, the evidence for Brandon Beemer was the most convincing for me.
DC: Pecs, I went totally on the evidence and Brandon Beemer got my vote here.
Soapgal: Mine, too!
Jason: Wow! I do think Eric Martsolf has a decent chance with voters.
DC: Agreed.
Soapgal: I feel the same way about Best Pecs as you did about Best Abs, DC.
DC: Martsolf has the best chance, but I'm going to predict Beemer.
Jason: I think Beemer will win in the end.
Soapgal: I prefer the shape of Beemer's to the others' pecs, although they all have great ones.
And I think beemer will win, too.
Jason: Again, subjective.

BEST PECS	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer
DC	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer
Soapgal	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer

Jason: For the entire torso category, Best Chest, Beemer wasn't an option. I came to the ballot thinking I'd vote for Shawn Christian. But, ultimately, after reviewing the evidence, I felt compelled to vote for Mark Lawson.
DC: I came to the ballot thinking I would vote Mark Lawson, and I did!
Soapgal: My choice is Dylan Bruce.
DC: I don't fault you at all, Soapgal. Bruce was my second choice. And Shawn Christian was third.
Jason: However, I think James Scott will win, unless his supporters just don't vote.
DC: For sure one of those last two (alphabetically) will win this category, unless voters are swayed by evidence.
Soapgal: I agree that James Scott will win, and i think that's a shame. I think he is by far the least deserving in this particular category.
Jason: Yes, based on the evidence, I agree.
DC: James has nice tone, but compared to the others he should have no chance, except for the X Factor of fan votes.
Soapgal: Exactly, DC.
Jason: I actually thought Brandon Beemer should have been nominated over Scott. Or JPL.
DC: Beemer is a glaring omission in this category, I agree.
Soapgal: And yes, Jason, I would have picked Beemer over Scott, as well.
DC: Especially since he was nominated for Best Pecs and Best Abs.
Jason: I have a feeling that Scott got a consolation nomination here from a certain man whose name rhymes with Dopey, to make up for him not being up for Best Hunk this year.
Soapgal: LOL Jason!
DC: He's the "most improved" chest over the last year, for sure. I wouldn't say "Best" out of this group but definitely Most Improved.
Jason: Very good point, DC.
Soapgal: True. the others already had great chests.

BEST CHEST	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Mark Lawson	James Scott
DC	Mark Lawson	James Scott
Soapgal	Dylan Bruce	James Scott

Jason: The only nomination for my guy, Greg Vaughan, came in the next category, Most Shamefully Clothed. Guess who got my vote?
Soapgal: He got mine too, Jason.
DC: This was extremely tough! I LOVE four out of the five nominees, and I really like the fifth.
And I knew James Scott would win no matter what my choice would be.
Soapgal: True.
DC: Given all that, I was left with a grueling choice.
Jason: Something Soapy said put it in perspective for me to decide that Greg Vaughan really was most deserving.
Soapgal: What was it?
Jason: "According to Greg's fans, he's so hot that it's a travesty he's not shirtless every day."
Soapgal: True.
Jason: So, I looked at ratio of hotness to shirtlessness. And for me, that's Greg Vaughan.
Soapgal: That makes sense.
Jason: Greg Vaughan is for me like Don Diamont or Adrian Bellani is for Soapy.
DC: That could be said for most, if not all, of these guys. To put it into perspective for anyone who reads this, your hotness meter on Greg Vaughan is the size of the universe, too. So ratios would have tipped in his favor no matter what for you.
Jason: LOL
Soapgal: LOL, DC.
Jason: Plus, it's his ONLY category, an outrage!
DC: I know Greg Vaughan has fans out there to vote for him, so I passed him up. James Scott I passed up since I figure he'll win anyway. And that left Jason Cook, Jake Silbermann, and Thad Luckinbill. Luckinbill never wins, so I decided to go with another of my favorites, Jake Silbermann, since this was his only nomination as well.
Jason: Very fair of you, DC.
Soapgal: Yes.
DC: And if you win Hunkiest Newcomer in your first year, you should stay naked for your second year, which he didn't.
Soapgal: True. Thanks to his storylines, he didn't have much chance for nakedness this year.
DC: Agreed. And the fact that he won Hunkiest Newcomer last year gives me a little hope that he could be competitive here.

MOST SHAMEFULLY CLOTHED	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Greg Vaughan	James Scott
DC	Jake Silbermann	James Scott
Soapgal	Greg Vaughan	James Scott

Jason: Speaking of Hunkiest Newcomer, who in '08 got your vote?
DC: Mark Lawson, hands down. He has a body that doesn't quit.
Jason: Same here.
Soapgal: I decided to spread it around a bit and go for Texas Battle.
Jason: Another good choice.
DC: I can't argue that one. I think it was a pack of deserving nominees here.
Jason: If Lawson weren't in this category, Battle would have won the battle for my vote.
Soapgal: LOL.
DC: But when I first saw Mark Lawson (shirtless to boot), I said, "Where have you been all my life?!"
Soapgal: LOL, DC.
Jason: And I predict Lawson for the win, also.
DC: I predict a Lawson victory as well.
DC: I think it hurt Texas Battle in my mind that I knew of him before he hit the soaps.
Soapgal: I agree, Jason, about Mark Lawson winning the category. A well-deserved win, in my opinion. He did tie the all-time record for nominations in a year, which is something for a newcomer.

HUNKIEST NEWCOMER	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Mark Lawson	Mark Lawson
DC	Mark Lawson	Mark Lawson
Soapgal	Texas Battle	Mark Lawson

Jason: What about Most Missed?
Soapgal: Easy choice for me, despite my love for more than one nominee. Eddie Cibrian hands down.
DC: Justin Hartley for sure. If he were to come back to daytime and be shirtless as much as he is only once a week, I would be a happy camper.
Jason: I seriously considered all five guys here. But I agree with you, DC. Justin Hartley got my vote, with Eddie Cibrian a very close second.
Soapgal: Hartley probably will win, I think.
DC: Eddie Cibrian & Eric Winter are often nominated here, so I think i glossed over them. I contemplated Justin Bruening for a long time, but Justin Hartley is just too gorgeous.
Jason: I think Justin Hartley will win as well.
Jason: The PASSIONS fans loved him and miss him a lot.
DC: I think Hartley will take it. He's my prediction, and I really hope he pulls it out.
Soapgal: He's my prediction, too.
Jason: And even non-PASSIONS fans know who he is and can see his hotness!
DC: True, but the same can be said for Mr. Cibrian.
Soapgal: Yes it can!
Jason: Yeah, but not as many SUBE fans. That's my thinking.
DC: I think his pure hotness overcomes the "soap" part of the category.

MOST MISSED SOAP HUNK	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Justin Hartley	Justin Hartley
DC	Justin Hartley	Justin Hartley
Soapgal	Eddie Cibrian	Justin Hartley

Jason: The next category makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
DC: LOL. Must be Best Hunk Over 40
Jason: Rick Hearst should have been nominated for Best Hunk Over 40. I'm very upset Soapy did not nominate him.
Soapgal: I agree.
Jason: I'm more upset about that than Greg Vaughan only being nominated in one category, if you can believe that.
Soapgal: That is hard to believe, Jason.
DC: I can't wait to hear who you voted for.
Soapgal: Despite that omission, I think this is a pretty tough category.
DC: For me, this was another no-brainer. Even if Rick Hearst had been nominated (or the equally deserving Christian LeBlanc from Y&R), I still would have voted for Shawn Christian.
Soapgal: Shawn is very deserving, but I went with Kamar De Los Reyes. His body has been looking mighty fine this year.
Jason: De Los Reyes is looking hunkier than last year, but still not as hot as Shawn Christian. It was between him and Tuc Watkins for me, since there was no write-in section.
Soapgal: LOL.
DC: LOL, thank goodness for that. We'd have the same winner in every category!
Jason: I don't care for Grayson McCouch at all myself, and I think Don Diamont is past his prime.
DC: So far past that he's been fired. Sorry, Soapy.
Soapgal: Do you mean fired from the show, DC?
DC: Yes.
Jason: Oh, Soapgal's been out of town and hadn't heard. You'll have to read Soapy's blog when we're finished here, Soapgal.
Soapgal: Yeah, that's news to me.
Jason: I figured Soapy would have told you that.
DC: I did too.
Soapgal: Yeah, I can't believe he didn't mention it.
DC: Hmmm, he got over that quickly. I'll remind him if he starts moaning about it at the results show.
Soapgal: LOL.
DC: Without naming names, three of these five nominees I don't see the appeal of at all.
Jason: I predict Shawn Christian for the win, by the way. He's grown a big fan base really quickly, plus he still probably will get votes from his ATWT days.
DC: I predict Shawn Christian will get a supremely deserved win here.
Soapgal: I agree, although i wonder if the Grayson McCouch fans might show up. They are very devoted.
DC: That could happen, Soapgal. I didn't think about that. I wonder if they've stuck with him since his return.
Jason: I hate his hair this year.
Soapgal: Yeah, his hair is looking kinda crazy.

BEST HUNK OVER 40	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Shawn Christian	Shawn Christian
DC	Shawn Christian	Shawn Christian
Soapgal	Kamar De Los Reyes	Shawn Christian

Jason: What about Hunkiest Soap?
Soapgal: OLTL life got my vote.
Jason: No contest for me, more hunks on OLTL than any other soap on the air right now.
DC: I went with ATWT. It came down to ATWT or OLTL.
Jason: That surprises me, DC.
DC: ATWT for me has the most appealing soap hunks of the bunch, even OLTL, which has a couple that I absolutely love. It was tough.
DC: I found that OLTL basically had two that I was completely over the moon for, and the rest were kinda blah to me.
Jason: I still think DAYS will win.
DC: I agree. DAYS will win.
Soapgal: I agree, too.
DC: ATWT for me, though had about six guys that I think are great looking, even if I don't find all of them "over the moon" wow.

HUNKIEST SOAP	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	One Life to Live	Days of our Lives
DC	As the World Turns	Days of our Lives
Soapgal	One Life to Live	Days of our Lives

Jason: And now for the biggie! Who is the Best Hunk for 2008, in your opinions?
DC: I voted for John-Paul Lavoisier, who I don't think has a chance at all of actually winning. Even though I love him and I think he deserves it, not just because he has a great body, but because he showed it off often for most of this year. He had good, frontburner storylines and he did some great acting and he really showed his leading man qualities.
Soapgal: I totally agree, DC. JPL was probably my second choice. However, even though I didn't vote for him in any other category, I voted for Mark Lawson here!
Jason: I love watching the For Your Consideration videos on the ballot, and one part of one video made this choice easy for me. The Mark Lawson video, where the camera zooms in on his abs and chest. That is the picture of "hunk" for me.
DC: A prediction will be tough. I think it will be a tough obstacle for Mark Lawson, especially since he's up against show competition.
Jason: All five deserve to be here.
DC: I agree with that.
Soapgal: Agreed.
Jason: And I'm stumped about who will win.
Soapgal: I think either Brandon Beemer or Eric Martsolf will win.
DC: I think Brandon Beemer will win.
Jason: I will go with Brandon Beemer as well.
DC: It will be a great win if he does. I will have no complaints. This is a very deserving bunch.
Jason: Soapgal, you want to make it unanimous?
Soapgal: Sure, why not. Brandon Beemer will win.

BEST HUNK	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Mark Lawson	Brandon Beemer
DC	John-Paul Lavoisier	Brandon Beemer
Soapgal	Mark Lawson	Brandon Beemer

Jason: And now we will be completely humiliated in front of the entire world when we get all of these predictions wrong. LOL!
Soapgal: LOL.
DC: LOL.
DC: Well, I can guarantee some will be correct. Some of mine, I HOPE are wrong!
Jason: I really hope people actually look at the evidence, after saying they did.
Soapgal: Me too.
DC: I hope so too, especially if they are unfamiliar with some of the guys. It really does help.
Jason: And unfamiliar with a given soap.
Jason: I know little about Y&R these days, but Daniel Goddard got my vote!
DC: I know a lot of voters find it hard to vote for someone they've never "seen in motion." Lots of soaphunks.net voters vote with their hearts and have that connection with people they see all the time, no matter what they look like.
Soapgal: True.
DC: And sometimes people's opinions of physical attributes is colored by their opinion of the person.
Jason: This has been a very interesting chat.
DC: I agree.
Soapgal: Yes, me too.
Jason: Thanks for your insights guys.
Soapgal: My pleasure.
DC: Thanks, it was fun!
Jason: Let's hope there are enough soap hunks around next year to fill the ballot!
Soapgal: LOL, I'm sure there will be!

Soapy in mourning: Diamont out at Y&R

Anyone who knows me knows how it pains me to type this one. Soap Opera Digest is reporting that Y&R's Don Diamont has been ousted from daytime's No. 1 soap. Details of his exit are said to be very "hush hush" at this time.

Diamont has been with the sudser for over 20 years. He first aired in 1985, after a two-year run on DAYS. He stayed with the show until 1996, returning in 1998 through now. During his tenure, Diamont has amassed 25 Soaphunks.net Award nominations and eight wins. In addition, in a 2005 poll at this site, he was named the Sexiest Soap Hunk of All Time.

If you didn't already know it, Diamont is personally my all-time favorite soap hunk, and the primary reason I created soaphunks.net a decade ago was to share and collect pictures of him.

Sigh.

Egglesfield back in at AMC

Just months after being unceremoniously bumped to recurring status, AMC's Colin Egglesfield appears to now be headed back to the soap. It's unclear whether this puts the 2006 Hunkiest Newcomer Soaphunks.net Award winner back on contract, but regardless, Egglesfield will certainly be onscreen a lot more often into 2009.

The polls are open!

It's December 1st, so voting for the 10th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards officially started at midnight ET. You can access the ballot at soaphunks.net/vote.

As has been the case the last few years, we have bent over backwards to provide evidence for each nomination to help make you a more informed voter. "Review the Evidence" links are all over the ballot. Click them before voting!

And as usual, in the top category of Best Hunk, we have For Your Consideration videos of all of the five nominees' hunkitude from 2008. Behold the beauty, then go vote!

365 days of Marcus Patrick

If there's one soap hunk who never minds stripping off his clothes, it's DAYS and AMC alum Marcus Patrick. And now you can experience this ripped stud's body all year long as the actor is offering a pin-up calendar for 2009, filled with hunky shots of his fine physique. Other items will be up for sale soon. You can check it all out at marcuspatrickexposed.com, and tell them soaphunks.net sent ya!

Stuffing Marcel's turkey

I know this isn't soap-related, but this one was too cute not to post. Who can resist Marcel in his undies? If you haven't checked out Score Underwear, please do. I own eight pairs myself. :)

10th Annual Soaphunks.net Award Nominations Announced!

OLTL newcomer Mark Lawson scored a record-tying eight nods Wednesday as the 10th Annual Soaphunks.net Award nominations were unveiled at soaphunks.net. 80 nominations were announced covering 16 categories.

Lawson's eight nominations include the top category, Best Hunk, and tie him with Mark Collier's record-setting number of mentions from 2004.

Also up for Best Hunk and scoring four nominations each were B&B's Brandon Beemer, DAYS' Shawn Christian, OLTL's John-Paul Lavoisier, and PASSIONS' Eric Martsolf, who helped that now-cancelled soap to its final haul of eight total nominations, for a series total of 96 nominations.

Christian's nod marks the first time in awards history that a contender for Best Hunk Over 40 also landed in the overall top category. Beemer, Lavoisier, and Martsolf each have one
previous Best Hunk nomination, though none of them has ever won it. Beemer is the only nominee to have also been in the top category last year.

DAYS' James Scott, who won Best Hunk in 2006 and 2007, in addition to summertime Adonis titles both years, was left out of the race this year, though he did score three other mentions,
including Best Chest and Most Shamefully Clothed. (His relative lack of onscreen shirtlessness in 2008 was to blame.)

A total of 42 soap hunks received nominations this year, five more than in 2006 or 2007. With 20 nominations, OLTL led all shows for the first time in history, helping ABC lead the
networks with 33 nominations. (ABC was in last place in 2007 on that count.) CBS scored 28 nods, and NBC nabbed 11. DirecTV's network The 101, which aired the final season of
PASSIONS after it left NBC, got credit for that show's eight nominations in 2008.

Other points of interest:

• B&B had its best year ever in the nominations, thanks to strong showings by Beemer and newcomer Texas Battle. The show managed seven nominations.


• ATWT's Jon Prescott scored a Hunkiest Newcomer nomination, despite the fact that he has already been released from the sudser. Perhaps even more noteworthy was the strong showing of his former co-star, Dylan Bruce. He has also been let go from the soap, but managed four total nominations, tying him for second place this year.


• The two nominations for Y&R's Thad Luckinbill (Best Hair & Most Shamefully Clothed) extend his unfortunate lead in the no-wins race, with 16 career nominations but no trophies.


• GL crashed and burned this year, scoring a worst-ever single nomination (Murray Bartlett for Best Voice).
  
• Like it or not, the absence of James Scott (and GH's Greg Vaughan) in the Best Hunk category sets up the most unpredictable Best Hunk race in years.

The entire list of nominations can be streamed online, while the text version is also available. Complete year-by-year history of the awards is also available online.

As always, voting begins December 1 at soaphunks.net.

Ouch! Metcalfe falls on his award-winning butt

PAS alum and three-time Soaphunks.net Award winner Jesse Metcalfe's good luck almost ran out last week. According to US Magazine, the hottie recently was partying at a World Music Awards after-party in Monaco when he fell 40 feet off of a balcony and was knocked unconscious. He is currently in a wheelchair, and can barely walk. Ouch! Metcalfe is expected to recover--slowly.

I'll take mine with fries

Here's a cute blast from the past: check out DAYS' James Scott before he was an Adonis, and his hunky former castmate, Marcus Patrick, both getting pulses racing in this classic McDonald's commercial. When they look like this, we're all lovin' it!

More sands in the hourglass: DAYS renewed, though Johnson apparently out

After months of speculation, NBC and Sony Pictures TV have reached a deal to keep DAYS on the air, possibly through Sept. 2011. That's good news for Soaphunks.net visitors, as DAYS has won the award for Hunkiest Soap five out of the eight years that the award has been given. Keep growing studs like James Scott and Shawn Christian for as long as you can, Salem!

The downside of DAYS' remaining on the network is that the show has announced that it will be making some "onscreen changes," which include asking its talent to take a pay cut. Sadly, contract negotiations between the soap and hunk Jay Kenneth Johnson have broken down, and the actor has cleared out his dressing room. DAYS is looking to recast the role.

Johnson recently finished in ninth place in the Adonis 2008 contest.

Light's on for Aleksander

GL fans who have been missing the popular character of Phillip Spaulding can rest easy. Word has it that four-time Soaphunks.net Award nominee Grant Aleksander will soon be returning to heat things up in Springfield.

As the Cookie Crumbles

If you like cookies almost as much as you like soap hunks, you might get a kick out of this new online soap spoof, "As the Cookie Crumbles," which a Canadian ad agency has put online to promote Kraft Canada's Peek Frans Lifestyle Selections cookies. Check it out online at asthecookiecrumbles.ca.

Enjoy, and eat up!

Michael Fairman interviews the hunks...and gives us a shout-out

Even though I thought you guys should have beeen checking out Michael Fairman's great soap interview site already, now I really do! :)

In the past couple of weeks, Fairman has debuted interviews with two of daytime's hottest current hunks: two-time Adonis winner James Scott from DAYS and five-time Soaphunks.net Award winner Brandon Beemer of B&B.

In addition to being great reads on regular soap level, Fairman also pumps Beemer for workout info and generally asks all about what it's like being so damned hunky. And in Scott's interview, hear why he hates having his photo taken (sacrilege!) and look for Fairman's shout-out to soaphunks.net...thanks, Michael!

• Michael Fairman's Interview with James Scott
• Michael Fairman's Interview with Brandon Beemer