After being dumped by the broadcast TV channels two years ago, the Daytime Emmy Awards were rescued by the CW network in 2009, but will return to CBS on Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT. The ceremony will be held in Las Vegas, emceed by Regis Philbin.

Who's going to win? We set up a special forum thread where our posters carefully studied the episodes submitted to judges by the nominees as examples of their best work. After duplicating the voting process, our experts made gutsy predictions in all top races. We spotlight some races here at Gold Derby: best drama series, lead actor, lead actress and talk show/entertainment. See more in our forums.

Nelson Branco of TV Guide Canada agrees with our pundits that Crystal Chappell ("Guiding Light") will win best actress, but he disagrees with our gurus who say Michael Park ("As the World Turns") will triumph as best actor. Branco predicts the gold will go to three-time past champ Peter Bergman ("The Young and the Restless").

Branco picks "General Hospital" to prevail as best drama series for a record-setting eleventh time. ("The Young and the Restless" is in second place with seven victories.) So does one of our pundits, who is known as BC in our forums.

However, Matthew "Boidiva02" Cormier picks "The Bold and the Beautiful." See more of Branco's predix here.

RELATED POSTS:

Inside track: Daytime Emmys' race for best drama series

Daytime Emmy predictions: Rachael Ray's show will triumph again

Daytime Emmy predictions: 'Guiding Light' star Crystal Chappell will win best actress

Daytime Emmy predictions: 'As the World Turns' star Michael Park will win best actor

Photo credit: National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Get Gold Derby on Twitter. Join the Gold Derby Group at Facebook. Become friends with Tom O'Neil on Facebook. Get Gold Derby RSS feed via Facebook. RSS Feedburner. RSS Atom.

Two of our forum posters agree that Michael Park ("As the World Turns") will win best actor at the Daytime Emmys this weekend. Both Matthew "Boidiva02" Cormier and Peter "Italian Stallion" Stallone viewed the same DVDs submitted to judges and express their views in depth below. Also see our posters' predix for best drama series and lead actress. Check out our special forum with predix in all races.

BEST ACTOR: MATTHEW 'BOIDIVA02' CORMIER'S PREDIX
(Ranked by likelihood of winning)
1. Michael Park, "As the World Turns"
2. James Scott, "Days of Our Lives"
3. Doug Davidson, "Young and the Restless"
4. Peter Bergman, "Young and the Restless"
5. Jon Lindstorm, "As the World Turns"

MATTHEW'S COMMENTARY: The lead actor race this year is filled with industry veterans who are all well respected. Included among this esteemed group is multiple Emmy-winner Peter Bergman ("Young and the Restless"), multiple past nominee Michael Park ("As the World Turns"), previous nominees Doug Davidson ("Young and the Restless") and James Scott ("Days of Our Lives") and first-time nominee Jon Lindstorm ("As the World Turns").

Among this group, James Scott gives the most genuine and honest performance. Michael Park gives a great performance, but I feel myself connecting more to James Scott's reel.

Two nominees are not factors — Peter Bergman and Jon Lindstrom, who submitted less than thrilling tapes.  There are other factors working here, though, besides just the tapes. That "As the World Turns" is going off the air this September may bode well for Park, who has never won an Emmy in all his years of working on soaps. I think that this is a case where block voting will come into play. Because we have no nominees in this race from ABC, it will affect how the votes go. Assuming all of NBC's actors vote for James Scott, that leaves CBS' actors who will likely split their votes between Davidson and Park.

Over the last month, many posters in our forums volunteered to view the episodes submitted to Daytime Emmy judges as examples of their best work. In an earlier post, they made informed predictions covering whidh show will win best drama series. Below, our poster named GL Fan and our message-boards moderator Matthew "Boidiva02" Cormier analyze and forecast the best-actress derby. Both agree that past winner of best supporting actress, Crystal Chappell ("Guiding Light"), will prevail in lead. See analysis of other categories in our special forum. 

BEST ACTRESS: GL FAN'S PREDIX
(Ranked by likelihood to win)
1.) Crystal Chappell, "Guiding Light"
2.) Maura West, "As the World Turns"
3.) Michelle Stafford, "The Young and the Restless"
4.) Bobbie Eakes, "All My Children"
5.) Sarah Brown, "General Hospital"

GLFAN'S COMMENTARY: All of this year's nominees are previous nominees in either the lead, supporting or younger actress categories. In fact, the only person in this category without a bronzed winged lady is "All My Children's" Bobbie Eakes. It doesn't look like Ms. Eakes will be taking home the Emmy this time around either, but her competition isn't nearly as severe as it has been in the past. Emmy heavy-hitters like Kim Zimmer, Susan Flannery, and Erika Slezak aren't on 2010's final ballot of five. What is even more shocking is that only two of these ladies had that "it" moment in their tape — you know, that shocking revelation that makes a tape jump alive from the regular boring hum drumness that can put Emmy voters to sleep after watching so many tapes.

Previous supporting-actress Emmy winner Crystal Chappell has one of those tapes. Her declaration of love to her "friend" Natalia is not only one of the most talked about moments in soaps last year, it's also one of the best played in all of these leading ladies' reels. Coupled with her poignant monologue in the graveyard and two earlier scenes with Jessica Leccia's Natalia and Emmy winner Justin Deas' Buzz, Chappel's tape is wrought with that soap-opera angst. The writing is surprisingly strong and gives the actress something to really sink her teeth into. It is in that tombstone monologue and later that pivotal scene where Olivia admits to Natalia on her wedding day that she is in love with her that Chappell shines brightest and secures this award.

The soap operas leading the Daytime Emmy nominations are "General Hospital" (18) and "The Young and the Restless" (16). Also up for best drama series: "All My Children" and "The Bold and the Beautiful." "Glaring omissions," according to Nelson Branco of TV Guide Canada: "One Life to Live" and "Days of Our Lives."

Major snubs are the big story. Among stars who failed to reap bids are some past Daytime Emmy super-champs like Anthony Geary of "General Hospital," who holds the record for most victories among lead actors (six), five-time winner David Canary of "All My Children" and four-time victor Susan Flannery of "The Bold and the Beautiful." Four-time winner Ellen DeGeneres isn't nominated for best TV talk-show host, but that's because the four-time past champ withdrew her name from competition this year. DeGeneres' self-titled talk show was entered in the program race and did receive a bid.

Oh, yeah, and Susan Lucci ("All My Children") wasn't nominated either, but that's become routine in recent years. Three-time champ Christian LeBlanc ("The Young and the Restless") didn't make the cut either, but he didn't submit his name for competition.

It's shocking that Betty White wasn't nominated for one of the most prominent story lines in soaps over the last year. She portrayed the nasty mother of Stephanie (Susan Flannery) on "The Bold and the Beautiful," who ultimately died in her daughter's arms. Given her recent success hosting "Saturday Night Live," there's been a strong push for White to emcee the Daytime Emmy ceremony to be aired on June 27 by CBS. Now that seems unlikely.

However, the current crop of Daytime Emmy nominations does welcome lots of newcomers, including "The Dr. Oz Show" (best talk show) and Bonnie Hunt (talk show host).

See a full list of nominees here. Below are some sample views of our forum posters. See more here.

BC: No East Coast soaps (although "AMC" is nominated for last year, which was produced in NYC). For the first time in seven years, we'll have a new winner for lead actor … "GH" will win Series for sure.

Addie Love: Lead actress: Love all the nominations. Glad to see Cooper and Flannery left. I think Maura West will take it.

jurisdoctor07: These Emmys are random. "Wheel of Fortune" gets shut out year after year, and now it suddenly has four nominations?

Allan: Biggest disappointment: "Days of Our Lives" should be best show in a landslide and its failure to garner a series nod is disgraceful.

• Our good pal Lou Lumenick chatted with "Avatar" producer Jon Landau at the recent DVD launch of the blockbuster. "'It's like going to a live concert when you have the CD at home,' he told me at a small press event in Hell's Kitchen where clips from the gorgeous Blu-ray version -- the scenes look a lot brighter and more detailed when you're not wearing 3-D glasses -- were shown." Landau revealed, "that between 5 to 10 minutes would be added for the theatrical reissue, which hasn't been officially announced by Fox but is expected in late summer, when there seems to be a gap in the IMAX release schedule." And Lou reports, "A full-featured edition will be released in the fall, with a 3-D Blu-ray likely follow sometime in 2011. 'People don't realize that the only reason Panasonic developed a 3-D TV is because we asked them to come in as a partner with us,' Landau said." NEW YORK POST

• Perennial Emmys also-ran Bill Maher has reupped with HBO for a ninth season of his talker "Real Time." The comedian has had little to laugh about when it comes to TV's top honors setting a record with no hardware to show for his 22 nominations. Next season the show will expand from 24 to 35 episodes with Maher appearing on the paycaster from February through November and taking a break in July.

• Ellen Gamerman reports that this year's Tony Awards may be short one race as not enough of the new musicals boast original scores to warrant that category. Last's year winner was "Next to Normal," which was just honored with the Pulitzer prize for drama. "To compete for the award, more than 50% of a show's score must be original music. That was often not the case this season, which was dominated by musicals featuring popular rock songs and other tunes that already existed." As per Gamerman, "So far, 'Memphis' qualifies for best original score, and 'The Addams Family' is likely to make the cut, but other new musicals do not, including the critically acclaimed 'Fela!' and, probably, 'American Idiot,' opening next week." WALL STREET JOURNAL

• Patricia Chui chats with Peter Jackson about the status of "The Hobbit," the long-in-the-making two-part prequel to his hit trilogy "The Lord of the Rings." The three-time Oscar champ told her that "we've just delivered the script. Literally last week, we delivered the second of the two screenplays -- the first draft. So the studio's got both scripts now, which is a milestone; and if anything was holding it up, it was us doing the screenplays because we'd just been writing as fast as we can, but it took us this long to get them finished." And Sir Peter says that, "any character that's returning from 'The Lord of the Rings,' we obviously would love the same actors to play. But even those actors haven't been approached yet, or there [haven't] been any deals done. And the studio wouldn't organically do any of that until they've greenlit the film." MOVIEFONE

• Roger Friedman reports that the producers of the rialto revival of "A Little Night Music" are considering replacing five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury and Oscar champ Catherine Zeta-Jones -- who may be exiting the hit show as soon as June after the Tony Awards -- with mother-daughter act Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow. However, as Roger points out, "each is too young for the roles. Jones is three years older than Paltrow. Each of them is substantially younger than Glynis Johns was when she originated the role. Danner is strikingly younger than 85-year-old Lansbury, that’s for sure. Could it work? Well, they do call it acting. All those years, Estelle Getty played 20 years older as Sophia on 'Golden Girls.'" SHOWBIZ 411

• Kenneth Jones breaks the news that the novel that was adapted into 1990 best picture Oscar champ "Dances with Wolves" is now being turned into a tuner. Theater producer Matt Murphy ("Memphis") has acquired the stage rights to Michael Blake's 1986 book" and "is putting together a writing team to adapt the novel into a musical for the Broadway stage. He expects the score to have music inspired by folk, Appalachian, Civil War and Native American music." PLAYBILL

• For many people, awards shows are all about the red carpet and rare is the star who will admit to having committed a fashion faux pas. However, Drew Barrymore candidly cops to having made her share of mistakes, revealing "my worst red-carpet moment is the Gucci green dress where my boobs look like watermelons, it's the worst. Never wear a high neck dress with a high belt. It makes your [breasts] look like they are at your waist. It was the Golden Globes. I felt so bad. I was like, 'I'm so sorry, Gucci. I have tarnished your name.'" While Barrymore may have been a fashion don't at those awards four years ago, this year she was the belle of the ball as she won a Golden Globe for best TV movie actress for her performance in "Grey Gardens." CONTACT MUSIC

• Victoria Rowell may not have won a daytime Emmy during her many years on "The Young and the Restless" but that doesn't mean she is bitter about her three losses. Or is she? Check out this sassy spoof of her former co-stars. YOUTUBE

Top photo: "Avatar" DVD / Blu-Ray cover. Credit: Fox. Middle photo: "The Hobbit" cover. Credit: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Bottom photo: Drew Barrymore at the 2006 Golden Globes. Credit: NBC

OTHER POSTS:

Emmy predix: Best lead comedy actor

Emmy predix: Best supporting actor in a drama series

Cannes film festival competition short on Oscar contenders

Webby Awards pit Jim Carrey against U2

Gold Derby nuggets: 'Glee' in vogue with viewers | 'South Park' celebrates 200 episodes | Rachel Weisz as 'Jackie'

Emmy predix: Best TV drama actress

Seth Myers to host live airing of ESPY Awards

Can Oprah Winfrey squash Conan O'Brien AND Jon Stewart?

Gold Derby nuggets: Sigourney Weaver blasts Oscars over 'Avatar' snub | Behind the scenes drama at Pulitzers | 'Polytechnique' sweeps Genies

What's behind 'Modern Family's' surprising Emmy ploy?

'Next to Normal' wins Pulitzer Prize for drama

Can Conan O'Brien get back in the race for the Emmys?

Get Gold Derby on Twitter. Join the Gold Derby Group at Facebook. Become friends with Tom O'Neil on Facebook. Get Gold Derby RSS feed via Facebook. RSS Feedburner. RSS Atom.

"Daytime Emmys will go on, but on which network remains a question," says Variety. "The New York-based National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is in negotiations with at least two networks, according to sources. What is likely is that the ceremony will air June 27 (a Sunday) in the West, likely at the Las Vegas Hilton."

That's good news because some cynics claimed that the award show might not find any telecaster after its precipitous Nielsen fall in recent years. Back in 2000, the awardscast drew 13 million viewers on ABC. In 2008, it drew just 5.4 million on the same TV network. When it moved to cable last year, landing on the CW, it was seen by merely 2.7 million.

"The program didn't even manage a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49, squeaking out an anemic 0.6/2. Among adults 25-54, the show did just a bit better at a 0.8/2," adds Variety.

Variety also reports that the Daytime Emmys have changed the voting system used to determine who prevails in the acting races.

"The previous procedure included a pre-nomination process in which each soap opera selected two (occasionally three) actors for each performing category," notes the trade paper. "Then, those performers would submit a reel of their work to determine who the final nominees (and winners) would be.

The list of performers who made the semi-final cut for consideration for the Daytime Emmys has been released. As per the announcement from the TV academy: "A preliminary drama performer ballot containing each of the six performer categories was assigned to all registered, eligible peer voters from NATAS and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. This ballot contained the full list of all entrants submitted from each show and each voter was entitled to select as many candidates as they believed worthy of Emmy consideration. The candidates below who received the highest number of votes for each show in each category now advance to the final at-home screening round. This round, due to be conducted in March and April, 2010, will determine both nominees and winners." See the list at WeLoveSoaps.

However, it turns out the nominating process was even more complex than detailed above. Our good pal Nelson Branco pens a column for TV Guide Canada devoted to daytime dramas and what follows are his initial comments on the nominating process:

Game change, much? Every year, NATAS changes their controversial rules in order to ensure the most accurate results, but it appears one modification may have actually -- egad! -- worked in the Academy’s favour this time. While some, if not all soaps, still bloc-voted in some manner (a few actors told Soapgeist they were unaware of the rule changes and only voted in their in-studio pre-nom vote and not the real ballot -- d'oh!), the majority of show runners were shocked to see who made the industry approved pre-nom ballot after the reveal Friday.

As we all know, certain agendas, politics, and personal issues interfere with nominating the most deserving of performers (for example, Eric Braeden and Trevor St. John), but it was a different story this year when the soap business voted and not just the individual show casts.

Nelson then delineates the differences between the individual show votes and the industry-wide one using "One Life to Live" as an example. He concludes:

By letting the industry vote, it’s clear which pre-nominees have the best chance of earning final nominations without getting anyone’s hopes up unfairly. It’s too bad Trevor St. John, who consistently failed to win the support of his cast come Emmy time, didn’t throw his name in for contention because he’s highly respected and loved by other soaps.

However, this “new” rule doesn’t always work for everyone. Over the weekend, Soapgeist learned that Y&R king Eric Braeden did submit himself for Emmy consideration but failed to show up on the pre-nom ballot.

Below are some reax from our forum posters. See more here.

OLTLfan: Happy to see both Kish boys, Smith, VerDorn and Woods and Kirsten. I can't believe Eddie Alderson didn't make it. And how'd Slezak make it in over Lozano and Strasser without any material?

EmmyLoser: Overall, I really like these! Great to see Sharon Case make the cut in lead for "Y&R," and I think Haiduk and Mitchell are the right choices in the tough battle for supporting actress slots at "Y&R." I'm also happy Minshew is competing in lead. Betty White is on fire, and I'm loving it.

East/west: I would've not prenom Thorsten. John Aniston is a surprise and if tradition is correct he’ll be nominated, b/c so far a veteran "Days" actor has been nom here …. Florencia Lozano should've been here instead of Erika Slezak … Jeanne Cooper needs to stop.

OTHER POSTS:

Prediction: Sandra Bullock will beat Megan Fox for the Razzie

Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood vie for ACM entertainer of the year award

Get drunk, win Oscar

Can Evan Lysacek win 'Dancing With the Stars' that elusive choreography Emmy?

ABC '20/20' Oscar TV special: 'Before They Were Famous'

Gold Derby nuggets: Oscars selling out ads | Sasha Stone: 'Avatar' to win | 'The Hurt Locker' also top pick for top pic

'Precious' sweeps NAACP Image Awards

ASC focused on 'The White Ribbon'

'The Hurt Locker' sounded like a winner to CAS

'The Hurt Locker' debate: accuracy vs. entertainment

Poll: Do you prefer Sacha Baron Cohen as Oscar host?

Gold Derby nuggets: Oscars odd couple | 'Lost' actors find new work

Will 'The Hurt Locker' team be punished for breaking Oscar rules?

'Hurt Locker' producer apologizes for his 'extremely inappropriate' e-mail

Photo: Emmy Awards statue. Credit: NATAS

Get Gold Derby on Twitter. Join the Gold Derby Group at Facebook. Become friends with Tom O'Neil on Facebook. Get Gold Derby RSS feed via Facebook. RSS Feedburner. RSS Atom.

A real tragedy occurred at the end of the Daytime Emmys ceremony when finally – after 22 years on the air – "The Bold and the Beautiful" won best drama series for the first time ever and the awardcast ended before producer/writer Brad Bell could give his acceptance speech. It's especially sad since Bell is long overdue for Emmy glory, having lived a long time in the shadow of his famous father, Bill Bell, who created both "Bold and the Beautiful" and "The Young and the Restless." Now that Brad proved he's a worthy heir to his father's daunting legacy, he didn't get his moment in the spotlight.

But he did get to give an acceptance speech, even if it wasn't viewed nationwide on the tube. What did he say? Nelson Branco of TV Guide Canada found out. Bell told him: "I thanked the cast and crew and everyone involved in the show, CBS, Barbara Bloom, Margot Wain, the writers and directors. The two leading ladies in my life: my mother and co-creator of the show Lee Phillip Bell, and my wife, Colleen. When I was thanking the writing team, I said, ‘And the writer who is with us in every scene that we write and who is with us tonight in spirit, my father Bill Bell.'"

RELATED POSTS

Daytime Emmys TV ratings: OK for CW network, but new low for kudocast

'The View' hosts break Daytime Emmys curse

Bold wins at Daytime Emmy Awards: 'Bold and the Beautiful,' 'The View'

List: Winners of the Daytime Emmy Awards

Daytime Emmy Awards winners: Creative Arts

Transcript: Our chat during the Daytime Emmy Awards

Photo: CBS

Get Gold Derby on Twitter. Join the Gold Derby Group at Facebook. Become friends with Tom O'Neil on Facebook. Get Gold Derby RSS feed via Facebook. RSS Feedburner. RSS Atom.

More than 600 people joined the chat session we conducted live during the Daytime Emmy telecast on Sunday night. Check out the transcript below.

Here is our exclusive report on who won and what occurred during the ceremony. If you're curious to know who we expected to win in advance of the show, snoop through our posters' predix in these categories: best drama series, lead actor, lead actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, younger actor, younger actress, talk show (entertainment). talk show (informative), talk show host, game show, drama writing, drama directing. 

See more about the Daytime Emmy in our forums, which are always buzzing with chat about all showbiz awards.

RELATED POSTS

Slugfest at the Daytime Emmys: Christian LeBlanc vs. Anthony Geary

Truly bold Daytime Emmy predix: 'Bold and the Beautiful' will win best drama for the first time ever

Who'll win Daytime Emmy for best supporting actor: Van Hansis or Vincent Irizarry?

Daytime Emmy diva smackdown: Who'll win supporting actress?

Darin Brooks vs. Bryton McClure for Daytime Emmy as best younger actor

Julie Berman or Rachel Melvin to win Daytime Emmy as best younger actress?

Get Gold Derby on Twiter. Join the Gold Derby Group at Facebook. Become friends with Tom O'Neil on Facebook. Get Gold Derby RSS feed via Facebook. RSS Feedburner. RSS Atom.

The winner this Sunday will be Susan Haskell ("One Life to Live"), according to our forum posters Matthew "Boidiva02" Cormier and Michael "Emmyloser" Jenkins. Read their expanded views here. Agreeing with them is Nelson Branco of TV Guide Canada, who crows, "Haskell's visceral, jaw-dropping performance is the kind of acting the Academy typically prefers to honor."

But beware: Upsets happen all the time in this race and, as Branco points out, four-time past champ Susan Flannery ("The Bold and the Beautiful") is a formidable dark horse. However, Branco insists that Jeanne Cooper ("Young and the Restless") is really the most deserving nominee. "Cooper was truly the best actress of 2008. Period," he says. "Thanks to her dual role as Kay and Marge, 20-year-old flashbacks and a date with a bottle of whiskey, La Cooper should be taking home her third Emmy Award. (She won last year and she also earned a Lifetime Achievement Award.)"

Also nominated are Debbie Morgan ("All My Children") and Maura West ("As the World Turns"). West pulled off an upset victory just two years ago. What do you think of their chances now?

RELATED POSTS

Slugfest at the Daytime Emmys: Christian LeBlanc vs. Anthony Geary

Truly bold Daytime Emmy predix: 'Bold and the Beautiful' will win best drama for the first time ever

Who'll win Daytime Emmy for best supporting actor: Van Hansis or Vincent Irizarry?

Daytime Emmy predix: 'One Life to Live' star Susan Haskell will win best actress

Daytime Emmy diva smackdown: Who'll win supporting actress?

Darin Brooks vs. Bryton McClure for Daytime Emmy as best younger actor

Julie Berman or Rachel Melvin to win Daytime Emmy as best younger actress?

Photo credits:  ABC, CBS 

Get Gold Derby on Twitter. Join the Gold Derby Group at Facebook. Become friends with Tom O'Neil on Facebook. Get Gold Derby RSS feed via Facebook. RSS Feedburner. RSS Atom.

Most of our gurus disagree over who'll win this Sunday night at the Daytime Emmys, but Matthew "Boidiva02" Cormier and Michael "Emmyloser" Jenkins concur on who'll prevail in the top diva smackdown: Susan Haskell ("One Life to Live").

Also check out our posters' predix in these races: best drama series, lead actor, lead actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, younger actor, younger actress, talk show (entertainment). talk show (informative), talk show host, game show, drama writing, drama directing. See more Daytime Emmy predix in our forums.

BEST ACTRESS: EMMYLOSER'S PREDIX
(Ranked by likelihood of winning)
1. Susan Haskell, "One Life to Live"
2. Debbie Morgan, "All My Children"
3. Maura West, "As the World Turns"
4. Jeanne Cooper, "The Young and the Restless"
5. Susan Flannery, "The Bold and the Beautiful"

EMMYLOSER'S COMMENTARY: Unlike last year, where the nominees largely underwhelmed with their submissions, these ladies greatly impressed in half as many episodes. This is a great race with five strong submissions, and against weaker competition I can see myself voting for any of them. This is the kind of competition the Daytime Emmys should be about in every category.

To pick a winner, though, I have to go with Susan Haskell. While I had a hard time wrestling her name away from Debbie Morgan's and Maura West's, there's an undeniable gravity to her reel, a power in her performance I can't not root for. Haskell meets the material head on, as Marty discovers the man she's fallen in love with has held her captive, kept her from her son, and orchestrated and participated in her rape years earlier. It's a horrifying realization, and Haskell, rather than deliver mere highly emotional reactions, draws out the horror and the madness of everything that's happened to her. The reel is not only riveting, it's easy to follow, and makes you long to see what comes next. The heft of this material and the strength of the performance may make this reel unstoppable.

Debbie Morgan seems likely to benefit more from the intangibles of Emmy voting than any of the other ladies, and that's why I give her the number two slot. She had year-long buzz for Angie and Jesse's reunion early last year. Her win would be most historic, as she'd be the first African American winner in this category. And while all of the ladies here have Emmys already, it's been the longest since she won hers. Of course, I don't mean to ignore her performance, which is wonderful. Most of the punch comes at the beginning and end of the reel, but the middle doesn't fall flat. After a year of buzz, though, it may leave some voters a little disappointed.

Maura West is largely underestimated in this race, maybe because she won this award two years ago with a much more in-your-face version of the scenario she submits here, Carly and Jack admitting the reasons they can't be with each other. It may be because her show's writers gave her mostly recycled story lines in 2008. West has a great charm on screen, no matter what she or her character is doing, which for the first half of the reel I thought was the saving grace. But once Carly and Jack actually start to discuss their failed and unsustainable relationship, West is fantastically moving. She makes Carly every bit the manipulator she's accused of being, but she makes you feel for her anyway. She is, as Jack says during one scene, a force of nature. If voters compare this reel to the one she submitted two years ago, she won't stand a chance against Haskell or even Morgan. Taken on its own, however, it has a real shot.

Jeanne Cooper and Susan Flannery are a couple of steps behind the others. Both give excellent performances, but neither has enough in her reel to put her in the top tier. Jeanne Cooper does a great job of giving two distinct characters in ritzy Katherine and country gal Marge, but there's nothing else in her reel that sizzles. Typically, a double role is a huge advantage, but the dual role is all that puts Cooper in the race. If these characters were being played by different actress, this reel would not be up for Emmy consideration for anyone. It's also less advantageous than it could be because Marge and Katherine are really only dealing with each other. Cooper interacts mostly with herself.

Susan Flannery, likewise, does a great job as Stephanie has to accept that the love of her life is dying. It's a nice change of pace for Flannery, who more often than not is bullying and bulldozing her way through Emmy reels. But there is just not enough of a spark here to make her a real threat to the top three.

BEST ACTRESS: BOIDIVA02'S PREDIX
(Ranked by likelihood of winning)
1. Susan Haskell, "One Life to Live"
2. Susan Flannery, "The Bold and the Beautiful"
3. Jeanne Cooper, "The Young and the Restless"
4. Debbie Morgan, "All My Children"
5. Maura West, "As the World Turns"

BOIDIVA02'S COMMENTARY: It's the battle of the Susans in this race. You have clear-cut front-runner Susan Haskell submitting a powerhouse tape in which Marty, after months of laying in bed with amnesia, finally remembers some of the truths about her life, including the fact that her former rapist is the man that has nursed her back to health and made her fall in love with him. Marty discovers Todd's many lies, including the fact that she has a son Todd never told her about. She goes through many expressions and emotions that are evident on her face and body but not overly done. Haskell's expertise as an actress is clear as she successfully moves from one emotion to the next.

After viewing the episodes submitted by nominees to Emmy judges, our two forum posters, Matthew "Boidiva02" Cormier and Kevin "Movieman6" Dillon, agree that the race for best younger actress is between Julie Berman ("General Hospital") and Rachel Melvin ("Days of Our Lives"), but they don't concur on which one's ahead. Read their differing views below and check out predix in these other Emmy races: best drama series, lead actor, supporting actor, supporting actress and younger actor. Read more in our forums.

BEST YOUNGER ACTRESS: BOIDIVA02'S PREDIX
(Ranked by likelihood of winning)
1. Julie Berman, "General Hosptial"
2. Rachel Melvin, "Days of Our Lives"
3. Kirsten Storms, "General Hospital"
4. Emily O’Brien, "The Young and the Restless"
5. Meredith Hagner, "As the World Turns"

BOIDIVA02'S COMMENTARY: Only two tapes in this race will matter.

The first is Berman's, which includes an appearance by Laura (played by a blond wig because ABC wouldn’t hire Genie Francis). Lulu is on the run after killing Logan and turns to Laura for support. It shows a real emotional maturity on Berman's part and the tape is heartbreaking.

Melvin's tape is also very good. Chelsea has donated part of her pancreas to help Bo and discusses with Hope the death of Zack (her stepbrother who died because she hit him) and Hope being unable to have children anymore.

After the funeral of her sister Georgie, Storms confronts her mother, Felicia, about being a deadbeat parent and never being there for her children. O'Brien's and Hagners' tapes are, in my mind, totally nonfactors in this race. 

BEST YOUNGER ACTRESS: MOVIEMAN6'S PREDIX
(Ranked by likelihood of winning)
1. Rachel Melvin, "Days of Our Lives"
2. Julie Berman, "General Hospital"
3. Meredith Hagner, "As the World Turns"
4. Emily O'Brien, "The Young and the Restless"
5. Kirsten Storms, "General Hospital"

MOVIEMAN6'S COMMENTARY: This is how I would vote. I think Melvin's tape is a rock star tape; she is great, remorseful and truly amazing and has grown in her acting. I think Berman's tape is second best. She is able to sell her fear of turning into her mother very well.