Soapbox

One thing is certain. Despite the fact that they gave three of the most acclaimed and stunning performances on soaps this year, Michael Easton, who played Caleb the sexy/suave vampire on ''Port Charles,'' Kristen Alderson, who portrays the bratty Starr on ''One Life to Live,'' and Rick Hearst, who was evil rapist Matt Clark on ''The Young and the Restless,'' don't stand a chance of winning a trophy when the 29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are presented live on CBS on May 17 (9-11 p.m.).

And how do we know this with such assurance? Easy. Easton, Alderson, and Hearst weren't even nominated.

Welcome to the mostly baffling and always controversial Daytime Emmys, which throughout their nearly three-decade run have often featured more backstage drama than the shows they honor. This year, for example, the entire cast of one of daytime's most respected soaps, ''One Life to Live,'' got not a single acting nomination. ''That is incomprehensible and insulting,'' fumes Linda Susman, editor of Soap Opera Weekly.

Sure it's insulting, but it's also good television, which is why millions will tune in to the Daytime Emmy Awards telecast. To get ready, read on to see who's nominated in the seven major categories and to find out who we think will definitely win. Maybe.

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