Soap hunk gets sassy for Crystal Light

With Crystal Light sales lagging for 2011, Kraft decided to scrap its current ad campaign and come up with a "sassier approach." With a peek at PASSIONS alum Charles Divins' hunky chest in their newest spot, which begins airing today, sales are sure to skyrocket!

Check out the ad and an article with more information on Crystal Light's "sassier approach" here. Warning: "You're gonna get wet."

DAYS' Foster, OLTL's Gregory lead nominees for 13th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards

DAYS freshman Bren Foster and OLTL sophomore David A. Gregory both scored six nominations to lead the 13th Annual Soaphunks.net Award nominations, announced Wednesday at soaphunks.net. 80 nominations were announced covering 16 categories.

Both Foster and Gregory placed in the top category--Best Hunk--along with B&B's Adam Gregory, OLTL's Josh Kelly, and AMC's Jordi Vilasuso.

This is the first year since 2006 where four of the five Best Hunk nominees are competing in that category for the first time. Only OLTL's Gregory has previously been up for Best Hunk, having won the title last year.

A total of 36 soap hunks received nominations this year. With 24 nominations, OLTL led all shows for the fourth consecutive year, helping ABC lead the networks with 38 nominations. NBC scored 22 nods, with CBS at 20.

Other points of interest:

• In AMC's final broadcast year on ABC, the sudser managed five nominations, three of them going to Vilasuso. Cameron Mathison's nod (for Best Hunk Over 40) marks his 38th career nomination, lengthening the record he already held. And the soap itself picked up its eighth nomination for Hunkiest Soap, an award it hasn't been up for since 2007. AMC finishes with a total of 116 nominations and (thus far) 22 wins.
• Austin Peck's 22nd career nomination (Most Shamefully Clothed for ABC's OLTL) makes the actor the first hunk in history to pick up a nomination for appearances on all three networks. Peck's 21 previous nominations came from NBC's DAYS and CBS' ATWT.
• AMC's Jordi Vilasuso sets a record this year for the longest gap between nominations. His three nods in 2011 are his first in a decade, since receiving two bids in 2001 for GL.
• By referring to him on the show SEVEN TIMES as having won the fictional title of "Llanview's Best Arms," OLTL was clearly shouting-out to star David Fumero's win in that category last year in the Soaphunks.net Awards. And 2011 finds him up in that category yet again, with a record on the line: A win would give him four victories in that category, which would be the most all-time.
• Just three months shy of his 17th birthday, OLTL's teen heartthrob Andrew Trischitta becomes the youngest nominee ever with his three nominations.

The entire list of nominations is available online. Complete year-by-year history of the awards is also available online.

As always, voting begins December 1 at soaphunks.net.

David A. Gregory, OLTL lead 12th Annual Soaphunks.net Award nominations

With a near-record seven nods, OLTL breakout sensation David A. Gregory led all nominees Wednesday as the 12th Annual Soaphunks.net Award nominations were announced live at soaphunks.net. 80 nominations were announced covering 16 categories.

Gregory placed in the top category--Best Hunk--along with B&B's Brandon Beemer, OLTL's David Fumero, DAYS' Eric Martsolf, and GH's Brandon Barash.

Beemer won Best Hunk last year, while Fumero won in both 2001 & 2002. Beemer is now the only person to be nominated for the top award in four consecutive years, while Fumero's mention ties the record for most Best Hunk nominations ever with five. This is Martsolf's third career Best Hunk nod, and Barash's debut appearance here marks GH's first inclusion in the top category since 2005.

A total of 38 soap hunks received nominations this year, down one from 2009 but still among the most ever. With 25 nominations, OLTL led all shows for the third consecutive year, helping ABC lead the networks with 41 nominations. CBS scored 20 nods, with NBC right behind with 19.

Other points of interest:

• As the world stopped turning for ATWT this year, so did its luck with the Soaphunks.net Awards, placing in only two categories: Best Butt for Billy Magnussen and Most Missed Soap Hunk for Austin Peck. ATWT finishes with a total of 64 nominations and (thus far) 12 wins.
• For the first time in awards history, one soap has managed to claim four of the five available spots in a category. The Best Arms race this year pits OLTL's Fumero, Gregory, Mark Lawson, and Max Tapper all in the same category.
• After 2009 finally saw wins for perennial bridesmaids Thad Luckinbill and Shemar Moore of Y&R, now GH's Tyler Christopher widens his stance in the role of the Soaphunks.net Susan Lucci. Christopher's Best Arms nomination is his lucky 13th with no wins.
• For the first year in Soaphunks.net Awards history, AMC's Cameron Mathison was not nominated in any category. Mathison had placed in at least one category every year since the first awards in 1999. Still, the former Best Hunk winner holds the all-time record for most nominations with a whopping 37.

The entire list of nominations can be streamed online, while the text version is also available. Complete year-by-year history of the awards is also available online.

As always, voting begins December 1 at soaphunks.net.

More Martsolf laughs

Adorable Eric Martsolf is sure making the Internet rounds. Check out the DAYS hunk below in "2 Hot Guys in the Shower." My only complaint is that the camera could have panned down just a bit. ;)

11th Annual Soaphunks.net Awards announced!

With six nods each, DAYS' Shawn Christian and OLTL's Mark Lawson led all nominees Wednesday as the 11th Annual Soaphunks.net Award nominations were announced live at soaphunks.net. 80 nominations were announced covering 16 categories.

Both Christian and Lawson placed in the top category, Best Hunk, along with B&B's Brandon Beemer, OLTL's David Fumero, and Y&R's Daniel Goddard.

Lawson won Best Hunk last year, while Fumero won in both 2001 & 2002. Beemer is now only the third person to be nominated for the top award in three consecutive years. This is Christian's second career Best Hunk nod, and Goddard's debut appearance here marks Y&R's first inclusion in the top category since 2005.

A total of 39 soap hunks received nominations this year, a tie for the second-most ever. With 18 nominations, OLTL led all shows for the second consecutive year, helping ABC lead the
networks with 33 nominations. CBS scored 28 nods, and NBC nabbed 19.

Other points of interest:

• The good news for CBS: B&B once again broke its own record for nominations, with nine nods spread amongst Beemer, Don Diamont (scoring his 26th career mention), Texas Battle, and Rick Hearst. Similarly, sister soap Y&R had its second-best year ever, with 14 nominations. (The CBS flagship soap received 17 nominations in 2000.)


• The bad news for CBS: ATWT posted its worst showing in six years, scoring only three nominations. What's worse: the de-hunkified sudser saw all three of those nods (Van Hansis, Billy Magnussen, & Jake Silbermann) in the Most Shamefully Clothed Category. Memo to ATWT's powers-that-be: Shirts! Off! More!

• The nominations for Murray Bartlett and Lawrence St. Victor mark the final nods for GL, bringing its series total to 28 nominations...and no wins.

• Will you guys ever give the boy a trophy? The Soaphunks.net Susan Lucci, Y&R's Thad Luckinbill, is back with two more nominations, extending his unfortunate lead in the no-wins race, with 18 career nominations but no wins.


• AMC's Cameron Mathison, suddenly finding himself eligible for Best Hunk Over 40 honors, picked up two more nominations this year, widening his lead as the most nominated soap hunk ever, with 37 career nominations.

The entire list of nominations can be streamed online, while the text version is also available. Complete year-by-year history of the awards is also available online.

As always, voting begins December 1 at soaphunks.net.

Hunky Martsolf embraces shirtlessness

In Michael Fairman's latest column, DAYS and ex-PASSIONS soap stud Eric Martsolf discusses his lack of a problem (thank heavens) with his characters' frequent shirt-shucking. A very cute interview...plus, an Adonis shout-out!

Check it out here.

Ouch! Metcalfe falls on his award-winning butt

PAS alum and three-time Soaphunks.net Award winner Jesse Metcalfe's good luck almost ran out last week. According to US Magazine, the hottie recently was partying at a World Music Awards after-party in Monaco when he fell 40 feet off of a balcony and was knocked unconscious. He is currently in a wheelchair, and can barely walk. Ouch! Metcalfe is expected to recover--slowly.

Passions hunks headed to DAYS

DAYS has scored a double-sided casting coup, scooping up two of the most popular hunks from the now-cancelled PASSIONS.

Daytime Confidential is reporting that Soaphunks.net Award winner and Adonis 2006 Eric Martsolf has been named as the recast for Brady Black, a role that was made famous by Kyle Lowder, now on B&B.

Also nabbed for a Salem stint was four-time Soaphunks.net Award winner Galen Gering. Less information is available about Gering's character at this time, although he is slated to play an FBI agent who has involvement with Nicole (Arianne Zucker).

Both of these actors are known, of course, for extreme bouts of shirtlessness.

Okay DAYS, this is really good news. Now just scoop up Adrian Bellani and complete the trifecta!

Own a piece of 'Passions'

Passions, the supernatural sudser that had a small but devoted following and which showcased its hunks unlike any other soap, will have its official last airing on Aug. 11 on DirecTV.

In sort of a fire sale mentality, more than 750 costumes and props from the series will be auctioned off online on Aug. 9, via icollector.com, eBay, and Premiere Props. Items up for sale include several shirts worn by Adonis 2006 winner Eric Martsolf, although I don't recall ever seeing the stud wear a shirt during his entire run in Harmony. Check out the entire list of items here, and get registered to buy here.

Passions, we'll miss you here at soaphunks.net. For those keeping score, the former NBC sudser amassed 88 Soaphunks.net Award nominations and 22 wins during its run. (And, yes, it is still eligible for more during the 2008 awards this December.)

Non-Hispanic Redford to be PASSIONS' third Miguel

One of the hunkiest roles in daytime television history, that of PASSIONS' Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, has been recast again. This time, however, it will be filled by the decidedly non-Latino Blair Redford, who played Scotty Grainger on Y&R for about 10 minutes in 2005 before being dropped.

This role, of course, was famously first filled by Jesse Metcalfe, who departed it to head to "Desperate Housewives" in its first season. He was then replaced by Adrian Bellani, who quickly became the most featured actor in Soaphunks.net history given his almost daily shirtlessness. Bellani departed when PASSIONS moved to DirecTV in September 2007.

Redford will assume Miguel duties in mid-November.

Eric Martsolf just can't vote for himself

Ah, a man with standards! Adonis 2007 finalist (and 2006 winner) Eric Martsolf from Passions just feels like he can't vote for himself. (Martsolf's hunky co-star and co-finalist Adrian Bellani doesn't have such hangups!)

No word on James Scott's voting ethics was available at press time. :)

It's official: Adrian Bellani leaving 'Passions'

I just want to crawl back under the covers and pretend I don't know this. :(

As had been rumored, my current favorite soap hunk, Adrian Bellani, will not be transitioning with "Passions" as it moves to DirecTV this September.

From his message board post at his official Web site:

First and foremost, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and kind letters/messages/comments I receive from all of you. I want all you to hear it from me before you read it anywhere else.
I have decided NOT to renew my contract with "Passions." After a long wait and wondering whether or not I was even going to be asked back on the show, my team (agents and managers), and myself decided to pursue other opportunities. We all believe this is the right decision to take, although it was very hard. My decision is simply a career choice, and has nothing to do with the show. I believe life is full of risks, and this is just one i have to take. I am a dreamer, and I dream of having a big successful career. One of my dreams did come true..."Passions."
I truly believe that I was blessed to work with and be among such a wonderful cast, crew, producers, and network (NBC). I know that "Passions" is only a start for me, and I promise you will all see me soon.
I want to wish all my "Passions" cast and crew the best on the move to DirecTV. I know they are all excited about the move as should all the fans.
At the moment I am still taping, and soon there will be a big turn in my storyline. I've been waiting for that as long as you have. What will happen with the character of Miguel, I don't know.
Thank you all for your support, and thank you for making my time at "Passions" a dream come true. None of this could happen without you, and I wouldn't be where I am today if i didn't have such a wonderful fans and friends.

Hopefully another soap or show will pick Adrian up very soon; we are talking major detox for yours truly. :(

But don't forget Adrian has already qualified as a finalist for Adonis 2007. Finals voting begins June 20. The Adonis 2007 will be named September 4: the day before "Passions" last airs on NBC.