Ahead of next week’s 51st annual Daytime Emmys Awards, several of the Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress nominees participated in two virtual panel discussions for the SAG-AFTRA Foundations Conversation Series.

First, Lead Actress nominees: Finola Hughes (Anna, GH) Tamara Braun (Ava, DAYS), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, Y&R), Annika Noelle (Hope, B&B), and Cynthia Watros (Nina, GH) spoke on their nominated reels, competing against other actresses, and some of their behind the scenes back-stories in a chat moderated by Variety’s Jim Halterman.

Second, Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series nominees: Thorsten Kaye (Ridge, B&B), John McCook (Eric, B&B), Eric Martsolf (Brady, DAYS), and Scott Clifton (Liam, B&B) also spoke with Halterman. The gentlemen shared what scenes were on their nominated reels, how they feel about competing against each other, and for an Emmy, plus who helped them the most when they first started on the soaps, how they got their SAG cards and more.

Photo: JPI

The SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations series is an essential resource for actors, filmmakers and students of discussions with performers, exploring the process and profession of acting. In addition, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the most comprehensive, educational and state-of-the-art resources to SAG-AFTRA members.

Photo: JPI

The Foundation believes that the contributions made to our culture by performing artists are not only valuable, but essential. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation relies entirely on donations to provide emergency assistance and free educational programs to SAG-AFTRA artists.

The Daytime Emmy nominee conversations are made possible thanks to the generosity of the foundation’s supporters.  During the pandemic, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation has given over $7 million in disaster relief to more than 7,500 performers.

Now, below take a look and what this year’s Lead Actor and Actress nominees had to say about being their nominations. Then, share your thoughts via the comment section. T

he 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount + beginning 8pm ET/PT on Friday night June 7th.

After the tragic events surrounding the death of former General Hospital star Johnny Wactor (Ex-Brando Corbin) came to light, now the last place he worked, the Level 8 bar in downtown Los Angeles, has taken to social media.

Wactor died with a bullet to the chest, when he and co-worker, Anita Joy, were walking to their cars in the streets of Los Angeles in the wee hours of the morning on May 25th, and came upon three masked thieves wearing masks were trying to steal the catalytic converter from Johnny’s vehicle.

When Wactor tried to approach one of the men, he was shot and killed.  In the aftermath, Anita Joy revealed that Level 8 has not provided proper parking for its employees on her Instagram post expressing, “These criminals need to be caught – Level 8 needs to provide parking for their late hour staff as they originally promised – This cannot be something that isn’t responded to with action, it needs to be addressed in a manner to prevent anything like this ever happening again to the best of their ability – Level 8 needs to contribute to Johnny’s family to honor and respect him for all the hard work and effort he did for them.”

Now, on a post on the bar’s Instagram account they say they are looking into ways to keep their employees safer, expressing, “At Level 8, we take safety very seriously. Since we opened, we have provided the option for security escorts to the nearby parking lot to our staff after hours. And in light of this tragic incident, we have been talking to our team and professionals in the field, and are actively researching additional safety measures for our staff.⁠ We understand that a tragedy such as this impacts everyone differently and profoundly. We are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone at Level 8. ”

Photo: ABC

Level 8 also shared on the loss of their co-worker: “It is with a heavy heart that we mourn a valued and cherished team member, Johnny Wactor, whom we lost to a random act of violence a week ago. This has been difficult to process for all who knew him. He was beloved amongst his peers and co-workers, and we will all miss his talent and generous spirit. Our hearts go out to his family and everyone affected by this senseless, terrible tragedy. ”

What do you think about Level 8’s statement that they are looking into more safety measures for their staff, especially given that Anita Joy took them to task for the bar not having employee-specific parking that is safe, which might have saved the life of Johnny Wactor? Comment below.

 

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Joshua Morrow (Nick Newman), who has always been one of the MVP’s of the storied history of The Young and the Restless, is about to celebrate his 30th anniversary with the top-rated daytime drama series.

Hard to believe Morrow has spent three decades in Genoa City, but time flies. To honor Morrow, the soap opera will be airing a special episode filled with “Nick Newman and his family” flashbacks through 30 years, and the best part, they are actually airing the show on the day of Joshua’s actual Y&R anniversary.

So, circle Friday, June 21st for the standalone episode. Morrow spoke on his gratitude towards Y&R with TV Guide in their latest issue, “Just the fact that they would be willing to do something like that made me feel very proud. It hits you what an incredible ride this has been. I feel like I’m not worth it, like I’m going to wake up and this has all been a dream.”

Photo: JPI

Those who know Joshua are aware of what a big college and pro sports guy he is. Speaking on the path his life has taken him, Morrow shared “If you would have told me when I was a sophomore in high school in Oklahoma just playing football, ‘You will have a had a 30-year career on a television show,’ I would have thought you were joking!”  Joshua added, “It’s an incredible accomplishment and one I never take for granted.”

Y&R viewers will recall that Nick is the second child of Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scot and was born in 1988. For six years, the character was portrayed by child actors, and then all of sudden, Nick was SORAS’d (Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome) and in 1994 he was now a teen, played by Morrow.

Photo: JPI

Throughout Joshua’s time in GC, he has been one-half of the soap supercouple known as “Shick” with Sharon Case (Sharon), as well as has been part of another popular duo with Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) know as “Phick.”

Are you excited to see Y&R honor Joshua Morrow’s 30-year anniversary with a Nick-centric episode? What have been some of your favorite Nick Newman moments through the years? Comment below.