Soap stars honored by various organizations
by Dan J Kroll
Posted Monday, April 20, 2009 12:12:17 AM
by Dan J Kroll



Actors, directors, and writers are all being saluted for their outstanding achievements. While many people focus on the Daytime Emmys, there are other organizations out there that are honoring the best that the soaps have to offer. This is a look at some of the recent recipients of those honors.


It's awards season, soap fans. And while the nominations for this year's Daytime Emmys are still about a month away from being revealed, that doesn't mean that kudos haven't already been handed out by other organizations.


Directors Guild of America Awards
Long-time One Life to Live director, Larry Carpenter, picked up his third Directors Guild of America (DGA) award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials. The show that earned the honors for Carpenter was One Life to Live episode #10,281. If that doesn't mean anything to you at first glance, that was the episode that featured the So You Think You Can Be Shane Morasco's Father? game show.


Other nominees included General Hospital's William Ludel and Owen Renfroe and Days of our Lives' Noel Maxam and Herbert Stein.


Writers Guild of America Awards
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), meanwhile, has a much more difficult time when it came to choosing its Outstanding Daytime Serial. As you may recall, 2008 was the year of the work stoppage by members of the WGA. During the strike, some soap opera writers were accused of being "scabs" and working during the strike.


As the World Turns took home this year's honors. The show's writing team is helmed by Jean Passanante. The only other nominee is this category was the writing team of One Life to Live.


Image Awards
The NAACP's Image Awards, handed out in January, were not, as they have been in recent years, a one-sided affair. The Young and the Restless did continue its win streak, but it did not win both soap awards on the night. Bryton McClure (Devon Hamilton, YR) picked up his first Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series. The win came in the year the actor had received his fifth consecutive nomination.


All My Children's Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard) picked up her second Image Award, but her first for her work in daytime. Morgan won previously for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on Soul Food. She's also received nominations for her work in feature films.


AMEE Awards
Daytime icon, Jeanne Cooper (Katherine Chancellor, The Young and the Restless) received an AMEE Award from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, otherwise known as AFTRA. The awards honor excellence in entertainment.


Y&R's head writer and co-executive producer, Maria Arena Bell, presented Cooper her award and spoke of the actress' dedication to The Young and the Restless for the past 35 years.


"I never wanted to be a star. I wanted to be an actor," Cooper said in accepting the AMEE. "But to be a working professional, you need rules and protections and you have to work together with other professionals. This is what actors do through AFTRA. God bless this union, and I am so grateful to the AFTRA Foundation for this tremendous honor."


Other honorees included legendary recording artist Smokey Robinson, broadcaster Vin Scully, and the late voiceover artist Don LaFontaine.

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