Unlucky: Greg Vaughan out at GH as Jackson returns

They are dropping like flies at ABC.

After both OLTL and AMC lost a top-notch hunk last week, GH was apparently next in line as Monday saw Greg Vaughan let go from the cast to accommodate the apparent return of three-time Emmy winner Jonathan Jackson to the role he created.

A transplant from Y&R, Vaughan caught on with fans a lot more than he ever did with the GH scribes. The actor toiled on the back burner for too much of his six-year run.

Vaughan scored plenty of recognition here at soaphunks.net, where he twice finished in the runner-up spot in the Adonis contest (2005 & 2008). He has received 14 Soaphunks.net Award nominations and six wins, including Best Hunk of 2005. He has won more awards at this site than any hunk in GH history, and he will be missed.

Turner out at AMC

From Daytime Confidential:

SOAPNet.com has announced that hunky Pine Valley resident Aiden Turner will not be making the move to Los Angeles when the show relocates later this year. The previous Emmy nominee was cut from the soap Wednesday.

Turner received 10 Soaphunks.net Award nominations, during his AMC tenure, including a 2005 win for Best Smile.

OLTL to release Brotherton

From Daytime Confidential:

Soap Opera Network is reporting that OLTL's John Brotherton will soon be released from his contract. The Llanview heartthrob has been on the canvas since 2007 but has struggled for airtime in recent months.

A 2-time Soaphunks.net Award nominee, Brotherton has no final air date at this time.

Soaphunks.net Awards nominations soon: Have your voice heard!

Nominations for the 11th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards will be announced at 11:11pm ET on 11/11, and before all those elevens hit, you can have your chance to shamefully influence the nominations. Unlike Adonis, the summertime contest here at soaphunks.net that often boils down to a popularity contest among rabid fanbases, the nominees for the annual Soaphunks.net Awards are personally decided by the-powers-that-be here at this site...namely, me. You can review the past 10 years of nominees and winners here.

I try to be as fair as possible and nominate without regard to anything other than qualifications in 2009. But as I'm human, it's possible I could miss someone who is worthy. Therefore, I turn to soaphunks.net fans and ask them to send me suggestions for who should--and shouldn't--make this year's list of nominees.

I am truly 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. Please remember that I am looking for thoughtful suggestions across all soaps and multiple soap hunks, so any submissions I receive that say "So-and-so should be in every category" will be quickly set aside.

The same 16 categories will be up-for-grabs this year, and should reflect hunkiness for 2009 only. Don't suggest someone who was a great hunk in 1998 but now, well, isn't. Feel free to review the caps from the entire year on each actor's page on soaphunks.net, as I often use site caps as evidence of worthiness in each category. Please note: GL may have been cancelled, but since it aired for more than half of the calendar year, it and its male stars are eligible.

Here's a quick cheat sheet for all the categories:

• Best Hunk: The top award. In order to cut the mustard in this category, a nominee must have had noticeable shirtlessness on their soap in 2009. If I would have to call Sherlock Holmes to find 2009 shirtless footage of your favorite, you probably don't need to bother suggesting him. Remember, 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 2009.


• Best Hunk Over 40: You can consult my site's actor pages for many birthdates. As long as he turns 40 before November 11, he's eligible. This category gets more crowded every year!


• 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. Here, I tend to gravitate towards nominating guys who have achieved success in some other arena during 2009, such as a primetime show.


• Hunkiest Newcomer: Which newbies caught your eye in 2009? To be eligible, freshmen had to have their first major appearance in 2009, or perhaps the very end of 2008.


• Most Shamefully Clothed: We know he has a great body under all those clothes, but his soap never proves it! Permanently stuck in their shirts throughout 2009, the Most Shamefully Clothed nominees could have saved their shows a fortune in wardrobe costs.


• Best Chest: Sometimes there is confusion about the difference between the next two categories. Best Chest is really better called Best Torso. As in, "everything on the front," from the neck to the waist.


• Best Pecs: Manboobs alone.


• Best Abs: Always a competitive category, Best Abs contenders are pretty easy to spot...just look at his stomach. If you can easily count to six, he's a keeper.


• Best Butt: To successfully evaluate a fine derriere, one must have proper evidence. I am especially picky in the Best Butt category that I have pic/vid evidence to back up the nominations.


• Best Arms: Bulging biceps get them in every time.


• Best Voice: Whose voice alone makes you melt? 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 October 15, 2009, and thanks!

~~soapy

I'm all atwitter

Soaphunks.net is now on Twitter! Follow us to find out the latest in site news & updates, with occasional sneak peeks at new pictures and videos before they hit the main site! You can also keep track of the soap hunks (the real ones!) that we're following.



Check it out at twitter.com/soaphunks!

Farewell, Guding Light!

You will be missed.

Leyden set for brief Oakdale return

Just how many love interests does Katie Peretti need?

Just as the eminent return of studly Mark Collier was leaked, it's immediately being followed by news of a limited return by Paul Leyden, the Aussie hunk who has played scoundrel Simon Frasier off and on for the better part of a decade.

A 6-time Soaphunks.net Award nominee, Leyden is slated for a return around the holidays.

On your Mark: Collier gets set to go to ATWT?

Just as ATWT is sending hunky Austin Peck packing, we're hearing that none other than dreamboat Mark Collier has been contacted (again) for a return to Oakdale as heroic Mike Kasnoff.

Collier, among the most popular soap hunks on daytime during his tenure with the soap from 2003-07, has been repeatedly asked back to the show over the past two years--always turning them down. This time, though, we're hearing he said yes. No official word yet from the sudser.

Collier is a 5-time Soaphunks.net Award winner, including the Best Hunk prize in 2004. He also won the Adonis 2005 contest.

Austin Peck axed from ATWT

Nine-time Soaphunks.net Award winner Austin Peck has been dismissed from ATWT, in a move being confirmed by everyone except the show itself.

It seems safe to say that Peck's release was not under amicable circumstances, as TV Guide's Nelson Branco is reporting that Peck did not even sit with his ATWT co-stars at last week's Emmys. (Instead he resided with his former compatriots from DAYS.) Where might Peck end up next? Obviously DAYS would be the most logical destination, but no word yet.

Get more of the lowdown in Branco's column.

Three-peat! James Scott wins Adonis 2009

In a development that probably surprised no one, DAYS stud James Scott was voted as soaphunks.net's Adonis 2009 on Sept. 2, the third straight year voters have accorded him the title of the hottest man on soaps.

Scott's third victory marked his most competitive yet, as he bested runner-up Jake Silbermann of ATWT by a 50.9% to 49.1% margin.

A full breakdown of the 2009 contest results is featured here.