Mark Lawson running around without underwear!

Hehe, well sort of. Check out OLTL superhunk Mark Lawson's recent interview on "Good Day LA."

Dattilo out at DAYS

Ending a short period of speculation, it is now being announced that the powers-that-be at DAYS have opted not to renew the contract of Bryan Dattilo, who has played Lucas Roberts on the NBC sudser for almost 16 years.

Nominated for 9 Soaphunks.net Awards during his tenure, Dattilo's character has languished on the back burner for quite a while.

Hunky Baldoni cast on B&B

Yum!!!

B&B further heightened its hunk factor with Friday's announcement of the casting of the ripped Justin Baldoni in the role of fashion photographer Graham Darros.

The hunkalicious Baldoni is best known to viewers of Everwood, Heroes, and CSI: Miami. His first airdate is Jan. 15th...just in time to qualify for a 2010 Soaphunks.net Award nomination as Hunkiest Newcomer. :)

Beemer, DAYS sweep 11th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards

A clean sweep for Brandon Beemer gave the B&B stud his first win as Best Hunk in the 11th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards, announced live Wednesday.

Beemer won all five categories in which he was nominated. In addition to the top award, he also won trophies for Best Pecs, Best Abs, Best Butt, and Best Eyes. The abs & eyes awards are his fourth consecutive wins in both of those categories.

Hearing about his wins, a wry Beemer told TVGuide Canada's Nelson Branco, "It's extremely flattering. Soap fans are so loyal. I was very impressed with the voter turnout because my competition was, um, stiff. As long as I make people happy, especially in these dark times, I'll continue to take my shirt off while acting my heart out."

Aside from Beemer's wins, everything else went to Sony's soaps, DAYS and Y&R. The well-organized DAYS voting bloc, in particular, managed a first-ever shutout of nominations leader ABC. (ABC voters managed a reverse rout in 2005.)

DAYS claimed the Hunkiest Soap title for the sixth time and saw five of its stars win individual awards: Shawn Christian (Best Hunk Over 40 & Best Arms), Mark Hapka (Hunkiest Newcomer & Best Face), Eric Martsolf (Best Chest), Galen Gering (his fourth Best Hair win) and James Scott (Best Smile & Best Voice).

The wins for Scott and Beemer moved both into a tie for the most Soaphunks.net Awards ever. Each actor has a career 13 wins from 18 nominations.

Voters also ended the staggering droughts of two Y&R hunks this year as Thad Luckinbill & Shemar Moore both won their first awards. Luckinbill's win as Most Shamefully Clothed was his first in 18 nominations (a record). Memo to Y&R: Get Luckinbill naked now! Moore's win as Most Missed Soap Hunk was his first in 13 attempts and was no doubt aided by Darius McCrary's recent casting as Malcolm Winters.

Those wins now move GH's Tyler Christopher into the role of the Soaphunks.net Susan Lucci, as now he holds 12 career nominations but no wins.

Complete voting results can be viewed at the Soaphunks.net Award archive.

Awards roundtable!

The ballot for the 11th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards has been up for about a week now, and just like last year, three of my site's contributors (Jason, DC, and Soapgal) held a roundtable in which they discussed the nominations, explained why certain nominees got their votes, and predicted the winners in each race. We'll see how smart they were on Wednesday, December 16, when the winners are revealed live at soaphunks.net/chat at 10pm ET/7pm ET.

If you haven't voted yet, please do so at soaphunks.net/vote by this weekend. Hencewith, the transcript of their online meeting:

Jason: Well, what did you guys think of this year's Soaphunks.net Awards ballot?

Soapgal: I liked it. I really can't think of anyone who was snubbed.

DC: Well, overall I thought it was pretty fair. Nice selection of candidates. Probably a snub here or there but we'll get into that in individual categories.

Jason: There were a couple that were missed, but they've been nominated and/or won in the past. I know some talk about Jason Thompson not being nominated at all, for example.

Soapgal: I guess that's true.

DC: Definitely a snub in my book, but I love him.

Jason: So hard to fit everyone in.

Soapgal: Yeah.

Jason: Anyway, whose face was the best for you guys?

Soapgal: I chose Greg Vaughan.

DC: I teetered between Greg Vaughan and Daniel Goddard for a long while before choosing. I did finally vote for Greg Vaughan.

Jason: Big surprise, I know, but so did I. I really studied the evidence though, and thought his face was best.

Soapgal: I did, too.

Jason: And who do you think will actually win?

DC: Let's see...James Scott is nominated so I think he'll win. That seems to be the usual consensus amongst site visitors.

Soapgal: Exactly. Unless the James Scott people boycott

Jason: I actually think Greg has a shot. My money's on him.

DC: James Scott tends to be a safe bet but I would love for Vaughan to pull out a victory. Or even Goddard or Mark Hapka.

Soapgal: I wonder how popular Mark Hapka is.

Soapgal: I always worry about the CBS guys. They never seem to win these contests, except Brandon Beemer and he was on days before B&B.

DC: I do too. DAYS does have a pretty big online base so maybe he'll pull out some victories. CBS is usually the loser when it comes to online followings. Hopefully voters will review the evidence and that would eliminate all of that.

Soapgal: True.

Jason: But in a category with Scott, he may cancel Hapka out.

DC: That is a definite possibility.

BEST FACE	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Greg Vaughan	Greg Vaughan
DC	Greg Vaughan	James Scott
Soapgal	Greg Vaughan	James Scott

Jason: So, what about eyes?

Soapgal: Big surprise, I went with Mark Lawson.

Jason: LOL, this one was tough, but I went with Beemer.

DC: I also voted Mark Lawson.

DC: I thought it would be tougher but when I looked at Lawson's evidence, I was just really drawn in by his eyes. Very sexy.

Soapgal: Me, too.

Jason: I could see any of them winning (they're all worthy), but I think the Beemer fans will be out in force this year. I think he'll win this category.

Soapgal: You're probably right.

DC: I think Mark Lawson will actually win this one. I'm basing that solely on evidence and the fact that he's a previous winner so he has the support to get it done.

Soapgal: It's gonna be close because Burton and Martsolf also have big fanbases.

DC: I wonder about the Martsolf fans. They've fallen off a bit since he joined DAYS.

Soapgal: I didn't know that. That surprises me.

DC: He hasn't done very well recently. Adonis comes to mind.

Jason: Did you know that a win in this category would be Beemer's 4th in a row?

Soapgal: Wow, I didn't know that.

DC: I didn't realize that. I'm still going with Lawson.

Jason: And Soapgal, you predict Beemer?

Soapgal: Yeah.

Jason: Me too.

BEST EYES	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer
DC	Mark Lawson	Mark Lawson
Soapgal	Mark Lawson	Brandon Beemer

Jason: Which voice sent your hearts a-flutter?

Soapgal: Why, Aiden, of course!

DC: DUH, me too.

Jason: For me as well. Love the clip of him and the car.

DC: Sadly, it may be his last nomination ever since AMC let him go.

Jason: Yes, that is sad. I think James Scott has this in the bag, though.

Soapgal: Yeah, no doubt.

Jason: This is the 4th year for Best Voice, and James Scott has never lost it.

DC: Yes, Scott is the reigning champ for "Best Voice" but I will hold out a little hope.

Jason: Me too.

BEST VOICE	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Aiden Turner	James Scott
DC	Aiden Turner	James Scott
Soapgal	Aiden Turner	James Scott

Jason: I always enjoy Best Smile. Who did you guys vote for?

Soapgal: I voted for Goddard, but none of these guys really excite me that much.

DC: Pretty sure I voted for Daniel Goddard as well. It wasn't a tough choice for me at all.

Jason: I voted for Brandon Barash, a new favorite of mine. He's got a great smile.

Soapgal: I like the inclusion of the non-hunky Scott Clifton.

DC: Non-hunky in your opinion. LOL

Soapgal: True, DC. I guess I mean that he's not built.

DC: He's put together pretty well if you ask me. Although I don't think his smile stands up to the competition. It came down to Shawn Christian & Goddard for me. I thought both were great and I also think James Scott has a great "bad boy" smile.

Jason: Goddard finished second last year (behind Thompson), so he could take it. Who do you guys think?

Soapgal: I say James Scott. He does seem to smile more on DAYS these days. Pardon the pun. It’s also possible Christian or Barash could take it

Jason: I'm predicting James Scott to win, too. We all agree?

DC: Unfortunately

Soapgal: Yes.

BEST SMILE	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Barash	James Scott
DC	Daniel Goddard	James Scott
Soapgal	Daniel Goddard	James Scott

Jason: Whose follicles are the finest for you?

Soapgal: David Fumero for me. Love the curly hair.

DC: Another pretty easy one for me. I voted Thad Luckinbill. Daniel Goddard's hair is rather average in the scheme of daytime and I think the other three stink.

Soapgal: LOL

Jason: I went with Barash again, after the evidence.

DC: I think one problem I had with this category was the fact that Goddard, Barash, & Gering pretty much have the same haircut these days. Fumero's is also very similar.

Jason: I think the DAYS people will vote Gering here.

Soapgal: I wonder. How popular is he these days?

DC: He’s another Passions’ alum that doesn't seem to be as popular on DAYS (like Marstolf).

Soapgal: That's what I thought too, DC.

DC: My prediction is that Goddard will win. Although I think Fumero has a shot.

Soapgal: I think Barash is going to win.

BEST HAIR	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Barash	Galen Gering
DC	Thad Luckinbill	Daniel Goddard
Soapgal	David Fumero	Brandon Barash

Jason: And what about Best Arms?

DC: Best Arms for me went to Mark Lawson.

Soapgal: Well, I had to abandon my love for Lawson and go Tyler Christopher.

DC: Wow, this one was actually very tough. If you go by the evidence.

Soapgal: Yes, it was.

Jason: I thought I had this category figured out with Fumero, and then the evidence for Mark Lawson was just way too compelling.

DC: I had to adjust my thinking to, "Whose arms would I most like wrapped around me every day forever?" Mark Lawson is the answer.

Soapgal: That's the logic i should have used, DC! Then I definitely would have voted for Mark Lawson.

Jason: Who do you think will win? I’m saying Lawson here.

Soapgal: Steve Burton.

DC: That's tough. I want Lawson to win, but Steve Burton is also nominated and he's very popular.

Soapgal: Exactly my thoughts, DC.

Jason: That's true. Burton won last year, too

DC: In my heart I want Lawson to win this. But if I want a correct prediction, I say Burton.

BEST ARMS	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Mark Lawson	Mark Lawson
DC	Mark Lawson	Steve Burton
Soapgal	Tyler Christopher	Steve Burton

Jason: Best Buttocks?

Soapgal: Zamprogna, thanks to the evidence.

DC: Okay, I voted for Brandon Beemer but I have to give major props to Joshua Morrow. He was nominated and WON this award NINE years ago and his butt is still amazing today!

Jason: I voted Beemer, too. He and Zamprogna both truly showed their bare butts. And who do you predict?

Soapgal: Beemer.

Jason: I'd say Beemer hands down here.

DC: I think Beemer will win also.

BEST BUTT	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer
DC	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer
Soapgal	Dominic Zamprogna	Brandon Beemer

Jason: Whose abs did you guys pick?

Soapgal: Mark Lawson. Even though I did look at the evidence, my open mindedness ended here.

DC: Mr. Beemer got my vote here.

Jason: Beemer for me,too. He's won it 3 years in a row now.

DC: His abs are fantastic.

Soapgal: He'll probably make it four.

Jason: I think he will, too.

DC: And deservedly so. I agree.

Jason: Even when James Scott was winning everything else, Beemer still beat him in this category.

Soapgal: Wow!

BEST ABS	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer
DC	Brandon Beemer	Brandon Beemer
Soapgal	Mark Lawson	Brandon Beemer

Jason: And what about Pecs?

Soapgal: Lawson again.

DC: I actually voted for Billy Miller in this category. I think his pecs are plump & juicy

Soapgal: LOL

Jason: I'm pretty sure I voted for Beemer here, too. I hope voters looked at the "manboobs" here. This category always confuses people.

DC: Soapy should post a 15 minute video with a real-live soap hunk to show the proper body parts for the awards.

Soapgal: That would be awesome.

Jason: I hear Adrian Bellani's available. LOL

Soapgal: LOL

DC: He would be good for pecs. Billy Miller's remind me of Bellani's pecs. It's the first thing that jumps out at you on their lovely bodies.

Soapgal: I'll give props to Soapy for including the 40+ Michael Lowry.

Jason: Me too. Your predictions here?

Soapgal: Beemer.

Jason: I voted Beemer, but predict Lawson.

Soapgal: I voted Lawson but predict Beemer! LOL

DC: Hmmm…I predict Mark Lawson. Although I wouldn't be surprised if Beemer took it.

BEST PECS	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Brandon Beemer	Mark Lawson
DC	Billy Miller	Mark Lawson
Soapgal	Mark Lawson	Brandon Beemer

Jason: And the entire chest?

Soapgal: Lawson.

Jason: Rare that this category is not dominated by Best Hunk nominees, since it usually is. Martsolf's 4th consecutive nom for Chest, and he has never won.

DC: This has always been a sore point with me. If Brandon Beemer has the Best Abs and the Best Pecs, why doesn't he have the Best Chest? Not even a good enough one to get nominated? I mean what is it...bad shoulders? An ugly rib cage?

Jason: I agree with you, DC.

Soapgal: I asked soapy about that, and he said he wanted to spread the nominations around a bit.

DC: This was relatively hard for me because I think Morrow, Christian, & Lawson all have very hot chests. I’m pretty sure I voted for Mark Lawson in the end.

Jason: I voted Lawson here, since I gave the love in the other two categories to Beemer.

Soapgal: This was a very competitive category.

DC: I do think Lawson will end up as the man to beat here.

Soapgal: I think Christian has a great chance. I’m predicting him.

Jason: Lawson won last year, too. I predict he’ll repeat.

BEST CHEST	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Mark Lawson	Mark Lawson
DC	Mark Lawson	Mark Lawson
Soapgal	Mark Lawson	Shawn Christian

Jason: Next is Most Shamefully Clothed. Many think this means the hunks who wear bad outfits, but it means they don't get shirtless enough. No contest for me here. Thad Luckinbill is totally hot, and we RARELY see it.

Soapgal: I thought soapy was wise to include an explanation here. Texas Battle for me, even though he doesn't stand a chance of winning.

DC: This was I think the category with the most possible nominees EVER. A ton of guys just aren't shirtless as much anymore.

Soapgal: That's true, DC.

DC: I wanted to vote for Texas Battle soooo badly. And I wanted to vote for Jake Silbermann soooo badly. So, I fell back on my old faithful Thad Luckinbill whose killer body is being ABUSED by not being shirtless. I could have easily seen half the cast of GH in this category. Half of ATWT cast WAS nominated here in what sadly may be their last hurrah thanks to cancellation.

Soapgal: Well, they'll be eligible next year, too.

Jason: No matter what, a CBS guy will win. ATWT's only 3 nominations are all in this category. Luckinbill has 2 nods this year, one here. If he loses both, he'll then widen his Lucci lead with 18 noms, no wins.

Soapgal: I didn't think about everyone being a CBS guy.

DC: I hope ABC/NBC fans still vote here.

Soapgal: I think this may be Thad's year. "The streak is over" /Shemar Moore

DC: I think the Nuke fans will dominate here. They may split the vote but it would still be enough to overtake Thad I think. Silbermann most likely will take it.

Soapgal: That's true.

Jason: If Thad wins, I want to be the one to announce this category's winner, so I can use the Shemar Moore line!

DC: If Thad's streak is broken I will STREAK!

Jason: I think the streak may be over for Luckinbill, too. I'm predicting him.

MOST SHAMEFULLY CLOTHED	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Thad Luckinbill	Thad Luckinbill
DC	Thad Luckinbill	Jake Silbermann
Soapgal	Texas Battle	Thad Luckinbill

Jason: Which newcomer did you find hunkiest? The evidence convinced me to go with Mark Hapka here, though I think Nicholas Rodriguez is quite hot.

DC: I voted for Adam Mayfield, who I think is just so cute and very hunky. He's also been objectified quite nicely on AMC.

Soapgal: Nick Rodriguez, but this was a pretty weak category, IMO.

DC: I do agree about Mark Hapka being very hunky, too.

Soapgal: Yeah, Mark's pretty cute.

Jason: I agree, Soapgal. None of the 5 are truly as "hunky" as in previous years.

DC: I think they're all hunky in their own way. Of course, everyone's definition of hunky can be different.

Jason: I just mean it's nice not to have an "obvious" winner in this category like in many past years though, like last year with Mark Lawson.

DC: I wasn't so sure Lawson would win last year, but I was so glad he did. I will predict that Mark Hapka will take this. He seems to be the more "obvious" of the choices.

Soapgal: Plus, he's on DAYS. I’ll go with Hapka, too.

Jason: I'm predicting Claywell will win here, with the popularity of Kish.

Soapgal: Good point.

DC: I would love for Claywell or Hapka or Mayfield to win.

HUNKIEST NEWCOMER	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Mark Hapka	Brett Claywell
DC	Adam Mayfield	Mark Hapka
Soapgal	Nicholas Rodriguez	Mark Hapka

Jason: So, which hunk do you miss the most?

DC: TWO WORDS: Colin. Egglesfield! I love him like I love food, and I miss him so much.

Jason: All of these guys have visibility with various primetime projects.

Soapgal: Eddie Cibrian for me.

Jason: Eric Winter has been owning this category but Soapy held his name out this year.

DC: I also think this was the BEST set of noms in this category EVER. It was the first time that I loved all 5.

Soapgal: Wow, DC.

Jason: You know, I really thought about who I see a lot and who I wish was back on daytime. I went with Justin Hartley.

DC: Justin Hartley was a definite #2 for me.

Jason: I think bad press of late for Cibrian may affect him. I see Shemar Moore taking it.

DC: I do agree on Cibrian. I think Justin Hartley will win though.

Soapgal: Has Shemar ever won a soaphunks.net award before?

DC: Shemar is another guy that's never been very popular with awards on the site.

Jason: 13 noms, no wins. Runner up to Luckinbill.

DC: Which is a crying shame.

Soapgal: Yes, it is. I guess I'd predict Hartley then, too.

Jason: I'm standing by my prediction. It'll be a year of firsts. Susan Lucci can present Shemar with his award.

DC: LOL

MOST MISSED SOAP HUNK	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Justin Hartley	Shemar Moore
DC	Colin Egglesfield	Justin Hartley
Soapgal	Eddie Cibrian	Justin Hartley

Jason: So, which over 40 guy is hunkiest for you?

Soapgal: This vote was for you, Jason. I went with Rick Hearst.

DC: This was never one of my favorite categories...until Shawn Christian entered it! That man is gorgeous.

Soapgal: LOL

Jason: I was ecstatic Soapy remembered Rick Hearst this time. But, he doesn't seem to have been as hunky on B&B. The evidence made me vote for Christian.

DC: All your complaining about Rick Hearst not being nominated and you didn't even VOTE for him?

Jason: I was just happy he was nominated.

DC: Shawn Christian IS the Best Hunk Over 40. He will win. There's not even any competition that can rival his hotness.

Jason: And I think Christian is a lock to win as well.

Soapgal: Me too.

Jason: Do you think Diamont's beard will help or hurt him?

Soapgal: I say it hurts him.

Jason: We shall see.

BEST HUNK OVER 40	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Shawn Christian	Shawn Christian
DC	Shawn Christian	Shawn Christian
Soapgal	Rick Hearst	Shawn Christian

Jason: Moving on to Hunkiest Soap. For me, the soap that is overcrowded with hunks is OLTL. No contest.

Soapgal: Absolutely.

DC: Pretty sure I went with OLTL as well.

Jason: It won pretty easily as I remember from last year, beating out 5 time winner DAYS.

Soapgal: It should win again.

Jason: I think so, too.

DC: OLTL is definitely going to win.

HUNKIEST SOAP	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	One Life to Live	One Life to Live
DC	One Life to Live	One Life to Live
Soapgal	One Life to Live	One Life to Live

Jason: We're down to the biggie now...Best Hunk...

Soapgal: MARK LAWSON

Jason: Man, what a challenge this was...Beemer, though an 8-time winner, has never won. Lawson won last year. If Fumero wins, he'll re-take the record with 3 wins all-time/

DC: I went into the Awards season thinking, knowing, believing I would vote for Brandon Beemer. Then I looked at the evidence video of Mark Lawson. And I voted for him without a second thought. There's just something about Mark Lawson. He's gorgeous, sexy and his character has become SUPER sexy. On top of that he's got a killer body. Best Hunk all the way.

Soapgal: DC, get out of my head about Mark Lawson!

Jason: That's what happened for me as well, DC.

DC: I really think this should be Brandon Beemer's year. I'll predict Beemer for victory but I couldn't vote against Mark Lawson after watching the video.

Soapgal: I think you’re right, DC.

Jason: Since Beemer's been everywhere, I think he'll win. The man's been shirtless, in underwear, and even showing off his naked bum.

DC: I really think Mark Lawson needs a nude role STAT!

Jason: Amen!

Soapgal: OMG, I would die.

DC: Don't die THEN. You could watch it over and over!

Soapgal: Yeah, like I do with his OLTL clips!

BEST HUNK	WHO SHOULD WIN	WHO WILL WIN
Jason	Mark Lawson	Brandon Beemer
DC	Mark Lawson	Brandon Beemer
Soapgal	Mark Lawson	Brandon Beemer

Jason: Thanks you guys. This was fun and interesting, just like last year.

DC: I enjoyed myself.

Soapgal: Me, too.

Jason: I hope anyone reading this that hasn't voted won't be swayed too much. *COUGH* Lawson *COUGH*

Soapgal: LOL

DC: LOL! I doubt we'll change too many minds. I learned doing my own ballot that you love who you love!

Jason: Guess we'll find out on December 16th! Thanks again, and have a good night!

World stops turning: ATWT cancelled

Multiple sources, including Procter & Gamble, are reporting this morning that AS THE WORLD TURNS, the classic 54-year-old CBS soap opera, has been cancelled and will last air in September 2010.

After the cancellations of PASSIONS and GUIDING LIGHT, ATWT had moved into the bottom rung of the Nielsen ratings. Its cancellation leaves CBS with just two soaps, reduces the entire industry to a mere six shows, and takes Procter & Gamble out of the soap business entirely.

On the hunk front, ATWT was near the top of the list, compiling 62 Soaphunks.net Award nominations and 12 wins. It also was the stomping grounds of Mark Collier, one of the premier soap hunks of all time and the winner of this site's Adonis 2005 contest.

Put simply, this just SUCKS.

Dimples on The Strip

Check out People.com's latest video feature, which combines two of my favorite things: Las Vegas and SUBE/Y&R alum Eddie Cibrian's fine physique! On a shirtless photo shoot atop the Palms hotel, Eddie looks as hot as ever. The steamy footage is here.

If this is what People magazine is featuring these days, sign me up for a subscription!

11th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards: Polls open!

It's December 1st, so voting for the 11th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards officially started at midnight ET. You can access the ballot at soaphunks.net/vote.

As always, we have gone to great lengths to provide evidence for each nomination to help make you a more informed voter. "Review the Evidence" links are all over the ballot. Click them before voting! This is one ballot that you will want to spend some time on!

And as usual, in the top category of Best Hunk, we have For Your Consideration videos of all of the five nominees' hunky achievements from 2009. Behold the beauty, then go vote!