Best Soap: One Life to LiveIt started the year utterly crappy thanks to head writer Dena Higley, but after Erika Slezak (our hero!) royally blasted Higley on the Web, ABC fired the scribe and promoted wonder boy Ron Carlivati. Like magic, the show instantly regained its heart, its thrills, its smarts. The cast is a dream, especially Slezak, whose Viki found heaven in a Texas diner, Catherine Hickland as crazy (or is she?) Lindsay and Tuc Watkins as that gold-digging man-whore David. Once again, we're loving Life!Best Actress: The Young and the Restless' Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki)As the distraught mama faced with divorce and a comatose daughter, she pulled out all the stops, then pulled out a few more we never knew existed. This was deep, blistering work. Plus the lady gets extra points for acting sans makeup on high-def TV!Best Actor: As the World Turns' Jon Hensley (Holden)His quiet, no-baloney performance was a relief in a year of so much male showboating. Whether playing Holden'...
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Could that Birkin bag be more mismatched for vintage-cords-and-old-baby-T's Rory? More importantly, why did overdyed crocodile skin score such high relationship points? Emily is convinced the bag means security. I'm not quite sure what Rory thinks, though who could believe she had no idea how expensive and coveted that bag really is? (Surely her mother once made some witty reference to proud owners Gwyneth, Madonna or Martha.) What an opportune time to tell Logan she loves him! (At least she didn't do it as she was hugging that pink monstrosity.) I'm sorry, but I'm just not seeing it. Expensive gifts, whirlwind trips, wild parties… whatever. The guy always has that something-smells-bad look on his face, and all he does is complain. Couldn't he have come up with a better response to Rory's three little words? "I've told a lot of girls I love them and didn't mean it." Charming.
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