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

Passions hunks headed to DAYS

DAYS has scored a double-sided casting coup, scooping up two of the most popular hunks from the now-cancelled PASSIONS.

Daytime Confidential is reporting that Soaphunks.net Award winner and Adonis 2006 Eric Martsolf has been named as the recast for Brady Black, a role that was made famous by Kyle Lowder, now on B&B.

Also nabbed for a Salem stint was four-time Soaphunks.net Award winner Galen Gering. Less information is available about Gering's character at this time, although he is slated to play an FBI agent who has involvement with Nicole (Arianne Zucker).

Both of these actors are known, of course, for extreme bouts of shirtlessness.

Okay DAYS, this is really good news. Now just scoop up Adrian Bellani and complete the trifecta!

Shamefully influence the nominations!

Nominations for the 10th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards will be announced in mid-November, and now's your chance to corrupt the system by sending me your suggestions for who should--and shouldn't--make this year's list of nominees.

Of course, the final decision comes from yours truly, but I am interested in hearing what you guys are thinking in each of the categories. Feel free to e-mail me with suggestions of whom you feel is a must-have in a certain category...or someone who had better not be there.

You have pretty much free reign to say whatever you want, but one thing: please do not write me demanding "John Doe in every category!!!!!" I am looking for thoughtful suggestions across all soaps and multiple soap hunks, not just top-to-bottom fanwanking for one guy.

The categories will be the same this year, and should reflect the Hunk Factor for 2008 only. If your guy hasn't paraded around shirtless since 1997, they probably aren't the best suggestion to make.

A quick run-down:

• Best Hunk: The top award. The nominees in this category must have an at least decent track record of losing that shirt onscreen in 2008. This isn't Favorite Actor; it's Best Soap Hunk.
• Hunkiest Soap: Tell me what soap you think had both the widest array of hunks in the cast, and/or what soap had the most shirtlessness per capita in '08.
• Best Hunk Over 40: You can consult my site's actor pages for many birthdates. As long as he turns 40 by November, he's eligible.
• Most Missed Soap Hunk: Which former soap hunk would you give up your first-born to have return to daytime? They can be recent exits, or long-ago departures.
• Hunkiest Newcomer: Which newbies caught your eye in 2008? To be eligible, freshmen had to have their first major appearance in 2008, or the tail end of 2007.
• Most Shamefully Clothed: Also known as the Steve Burton Unremovable Shirt Award. Who needs to be shirtless all the time, but never is?
• Best Chest: This is everything from the neck to the hips. Sort of like Best Pecs + Best Abs = Best Chest.
• Best Pecs: Just the manboobs.
• Best Abs: Can you do laundry on this man's six pack?
• Best Butt: Can be evidenced in non-soap pictures/videos, if available.
• Best Arms: Got your tickets for the gun show?
• Best Voice: Whose voice alone could melt butter? Not necessarily reserved for guys with accents, but those are often hard to top. I will pay particular attention to American suggestions here, though.
• Best Face/Best Eyes/Best Smile/Best Hair: These should be pretty self-explanatory.

I look forward to hearing everyone's suggestions. Submit them to me by the end of October 2008, and thanks!

~~soapy

John Black: Speedo White

Here's a blast from the past: during his early acting days, DAYS legend Drake Hogestyn (John Black) had a small role in the 1984 TV movie, Glitter, in which he played a cocky contestant in a male beauty pageant. And I quote, "I'm Jack Shephard, 190 pounds of total perfection!" (This as he slathers himself with oil, prior to showing Phyllis Diller how he looks in a white speedo.)

A ridiculous--although admittedly diverting--clip. Enjoy!



Kudos to site visitor MstrBlaster for the heads-up on this one!

Own a piece of 'Passions'

Passions, the supernatural sudser that had a small but devoted following and which showcased its hunks unlike any other soap, will have its official last airing on Aug. 11 on DirecTV.

In sort of a fire sale mentality, more than 750 costumes and props from the series will be auctioned off online on Aug. 9, via icollector.com, eBay, and Premiere Props. Items up for sale include several shirts worn by Adonis 2006 winner Eric Martsolf, although I don't recall ever seeing the stud wear a shirt during his entire run in Harmony. Check out the entire list of items here, and get registered to buy here.

Passions, we'll miss you here at soaphunks.net. For those keeping score, the former NBC sudser amassed 88 Soaphunks.net Award nominations and 22 wins during its run. (And, yes, it is still eligible for more during the 2008 awards this December.)

Egglesfield bumped at AMC

Bummer. The character of Joshua Madden, for which AMC concocted one of the biggest ret-cons in soap opera history, has been backburnered so badly that the soap has bumped his portrayer to recurring status.

That means that the hunkalicious Colin Egglesfield is, for all intents and purposes, off of AMC. What a waste!

Egglesfield was an immediate hit with soap hunk watchers, amassing seven Soaphunks.net Award nominations and winning the 2005 prize for Hunkiest Newcomer. That award may be starting to become a curse: of the seven hunks to win it, only two (OLTL's John-Paul Lavoisier and ATWT's Jake Silbermann) are still with their respective soaps.

McCouch back to ATWT; Prescott out

In a surprising development, fan favorite and Soaphunks.net Award winner Grayson McCouch is set to return to ATWT on Sept. 24, less than a year after being killed off the sudser. No word yet on how McCouch's Dusty Donovan will be able to turn up very much alive.

McCouch is known for a very loyal online fan base, who helped him to strong finishes in the Adonis 2004, 2005, and 2006 contests.

In other ATWT soap hunks news, the latest recast for Mike Kasnoff (Jon Prescott) has been axed from the soap for "budgetary reasons." Prescott took over the role earlier this year, following the tremendously popular Shawn Christian and Mark Collier. Soap hunk fans will surely note that while Prescott was in the role, Mike--one of the most frequently shirtless characters in daytime history--went topless a total of zero times.

Vista Scores with Soapy

I know all my soap hunk-loving visitors will appreciate this...

If I wasn't already a big fan of VistaVideo and it's hot stable of hunks, I certainly would be now. Everyone check out the latest video shout-out to my site, again from Vista's hottest stud, Marcel.

SWOON! On top of all that, the Vista boys are also the lead models on a new business venture called Score Underwear. Ron Williams was kind enough to send me some free samples of this new line of exclusive undies, and I gotta tell you, I really like them. (And those who know me know that I'd say if I didn't!) Check out all the hot underwear and even hotter models at scoreunderwear.com, plus don't miss the behind-the-scenes footage of a Web page where you can undress Marcel with the click of a mouse.

By the way, I don't get any money or anything for passing this info along. Score Underwear gets the plug because the products deserve it. The fact that you get to look at plenty of eye candy along the way is just gravy. :)

Sabato back to GH (kinda)

From TVGuide:

Things are about to get steamy — make that very steamy — in Port Charles. Antonio Sabato, Jr. has signed on to join General Hospital: Night Shift. SOAPnet reports Sabato — who began his acting career on daytime's GH — will reprise his role as Jagger Cates. SOAPnet recently renewed Night Shift for a second season and says Sabato will appear in all 13 episodes of the upcoming season, which kicks off next month.Jagger's return to Port Charles is sure to stir up some painful memories for Dr. Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough), who's got Dr. Patrick Drake's (Jason Thompson) baby in the oven. Jagger's brother, Stone, was her first love and his death from AIDS shattered her life. Jagger also returns with his 5-year-old son, named for his late brother.

Soaphunks.net turns 10 today!

Where has the decade gone?

It's official: today is soaphunks.net's 10th birthday. Once upon a time sitting in my old bedroom, I decided the Internet needed a place for easy access to pictures of Don Diamont and Drake Hogestyn (among a few others - lol) and whipped up a very small, very bare bones Web site. This, folks, was June 5, 1998.

Ten years later, the site has grown exponentially and become more popular than I could have ever imagined. With five very successful summertime Adonis contests, and nine editions of the Soaphunks.net Awards, plus 6,326 pictures and 144 video clips and plenty of other special features, such as the 100 Most Memorable Moments in Soap History, the site has always been a blast to bring to you.

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has helped me with the site over the years, and to all of you for visiting and making it so popular. The site always has been and always will be free, thanks to the support of generous donations from people like you.

Look for a 10th anniversary update with new pictures and video clips to be uploaded this weekend.

And again, thanks.

soapy

Beemer beams to B&B

The rumors are true, and recent DAYS cast-off Brandon Beemer is set to join B&B later this month in an as-yet-unnamed role. Whispers had been circulating online ever since the actor's DAYS departure that he might be headed to either B&B or OLTL. The length of Beemer's stay is also unclear at this time.

Beemer has been a very popular feature at soaphunks.net since his debut, racking up 9 Soaphunks.net Award nominations and 5 wins, plus a 6th place finish in Adonis 2007.

35th Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced

The nominees for the 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced this morning. Of the three people I was really rooting for this year (ATWT's Austin Peck and OLTL's Kathy Brier & John-Paul Lavoisier), a grand total of NONE of them got included. So ho-hum, here's this year's list of the (mostly) usual suspects:

Outstanding Drama Series
General Hospital (ABC)
Guiding Light (CBS)
One Life to Live (ABC)
The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Outstanding Lead Actor
Peter Bergman, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
David Canary, All My Children (ABC)
Anthony Geary, General Hospital (ABC)
Christian LeBlanc, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Thaao Penghlis, Days of our Lives (NBC)

Outstanding Lead Actress
Crystal Chappell, Guiding Light (CBS)
Jeanne Cooper, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Nicole Forester, Guiding Light (CBS)
Michelle Stafford, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Maura West, As the World Turns (CBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Daniel Cosgrove, Guiding Light (CBS)
Trent Dawson, As the World Turns (CBS)
Brian Kerwin, One Life to Live (ABC)
Greg Rikaart, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Kristoff St. John, The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Tracey Bregman, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Judi Evans, Days of our Lives (NBC)
Kelley Menighan Hensley, As the World Turns (CBS)
Gina Tognoni, Guiding Light (CBS)
Heather Tom, The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)

Outstanding Younger Actor
Darin Brooks, Days of our Lives (NBC)
Van Hansis, As the World Turns (CBS)
Bryton McClure, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Tom Pelphrey, Guiding Light (CBS)
Jesse Soffer, As the World Turns (CBS)

Outstanding Younger Actress
Vail Bloom, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Jennifer Landon, As the World Turns (CBS)
Rachel Melvin, Days of our Lives (NBC)
Emily O'Brien, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
Tamin Sursok, The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Outstanding Daytime Drama Writing Team
The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)
General Hospital (ABC)
Guiding Light (CBS)
One Life to Live (ABC)
The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Outstanding Daytime Drama Directing Team
All My Children (ABC)
The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)
General Hospital (ABC)
One Life to Live (ABC)

Overpraised: Y&R, which even its fans said had an off year. You'd never know it from its annual truckload of nominations. If it was so damn good, why did Lynn Marie Latham just get shown the door?

Underpraised: OLTL, which nabbed a deserved Best Show nom, but only one acting nom to go with it. How Trevor St. John, Tuc Watkins, John-Paul Lavoisier, and ESPECIALLY Kathy Brier got the shaft is beyond me.

Duly praised: ATWT, which was not worthy of a Show or Writing nomination, and got neither. However, its large cast of strong actors got plenty of mentions, although Austin Peck was the show's most compelling performer this year and was likely just sidelined because of his past work on DAYS. Wake up Academy: Peck was the man most deserving that was left wanting this morning. He certainly had more to offer than Dawson (an actor I adore), who was mostly relegated to pouring coffee at the diner in 2007.

Right amount of praise but to the wrong people: DAYS hasn't had four acting nominations in the same year in eons, so I'm thrilled to see it back in contention. But some of the choices here still boggle the mind. Judi Evans? Thaao Penghlis? What about Alison Sweeney or James Scott? Darin Brooks over Blake Berris? Rachel Melvin is the only one I can really see.

Join us tonight in chat (10pm ET/7pm PT) to get my full snarky commentary on this decidedly uninspired set of nominations.

Second time's the charm

Well, it happened again, FINALLY. Now maybe if we don't make a big deal about this one, maybe it'll be followed by more and more, since it really ought to not be that big of a deal anyway...