Daytime Emmy predictions: ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ Michael Park, Colleen Zenk

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Peering into my crystal ball, here’s who I see prevailing on Sunday night when the Daytime Emmys are doled out at the Las Vegas Hilton (8 p.m. ET/PT, CBS).

— Tom O’Neil

DRAMA SERIES
‘All My Children,’ ABC
X - ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ CBS
‘General Hospital,’ ABC
‘The Young and the Restless,’ CBS

‘B&B’ is on a roll, having won the last two years in a row. The episode it submitted to the Emmy judges takes a break from its usual formula to raise awareness about the homeless. The same episode earned the show nominations for writing, directing and lead actress (Susan Flannery), so expect that wide support to translate to a win in the top race. But watch out for this year’s most nominated show, ‘General Hospital,’ which features Oscar nominee James Franco in its sample episode.

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ricky Paull Goldin, ‘All My Children,’ ABC
X - Michael Park, ‘As the World Turns,’ CBS
James Scott, ‘Days of Our Lives,’ NBC
Maurice Benard, ‘General Hospital,’ ABC
Christian LeBlanc, ‘The Young and the Restless,’ CBS

Emmy loves to repeat herself. In the last seven years, this award has gone three times to Anthony Geary (‘General Hospital’) and three times to Christian LeBlanc (‘The Young and the Restless’). This year Geary is not nominated, and LeBlanc’s submitted episode is considered a non-starter, so expect a repeat for last year’s winner, Michael Park (‘ATWT’), whose show was canceled last year. ‘Days’ star James Scott has serious upset potential, but the NBC show has a spotty track record. It hasn’t won this category since 1975 (Macdonald Carey).

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Alicia Minshew, ‘All My Children,’ ABC
Debbi Morgan, ‘All My Children,’ ABC
X - Colleen Zenk, ‘As the World Turns,’ CBS
Susan Flannery, ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ CBS
Laura Wright, ‘General Hospital,’ ABC
Michelle Stafford, ‘The Young and the Restless,’ CBS

Susan Flannery (‘The Bold and the Beautiful’) is a four-time winner. She submitted the episode expected to result in a win for drama series, but she doesn’t demonstrate very much emotional impact or range in it. However, Colleen Zenk (‘As the World Turns’) runs the gamut of emotions in her wedding-themed sample episode. This is only Zenk’s third nomination in her 32-year run on the canceled soap, but expect her to edge out the venerable Flannery.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
X - Jonathan Jackson, ‘General Hospital,’ ABC
Jason Thompson, ‘General Hospital,’ ABC
Brian Kerwin, ‘One Life to Live,’ ABC
Doug Davidson, ‘The Young and the Restless,’ CBS
Billy Miller, ‘The Young and the Restless,’ CBS

Jonathan Jackson won best younger actor three times in the 1990s for ‘General Hospital,’ left the show, then returned almost a decade later in 2009. He submitted a knockout episode in which his character discovers that his wife is having an affair with his half-brother. This is the safest bet in the acting categories.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Melissa Claire Egan, ‘All My Children,’ ABC
Julie Pinson, ‘As the World Turns,’ CBS
Heather Tom, ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ CBS
Nancy Lee Grahn, ‘General Hospital,’ ABC
Bree Williamson, ‘One Life to Live,’ ABC
X - Tricia Cast, ‘The Young and the Restless,’ CBS

A close three-way race between Pinson (‘As the World Turns’), Tom (‘The Bold and the Beautiful’) and Cast (‘Y&R’). All three are previous winners, but expect Cast (whose previous victory was in the younger actress race in 1992) to prevail for an episode in which one of her sons kills the other.

YOUNGER ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
X - Scott Clifton, ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ CBS
Chandler Massey, ‘Days of Our Lives,’ NBC
Chad Duell, ‘General Hospital,’ ABC

Scott Clifton has now been nominated five times for three different shows (previously, ‘General Hospital’ and ‘One Life to Live’) without winning. This will be his last chance to compete in the younger-actor race (he ages out of the category this year), but he’s come with guns blazing. His reel, about the discovery of his real father, is not only emotional but more than twice the length of his competitors’ reels –- combined. Size matters when it comes to entertainment awards, where longer films tend to win best picture at the Oscars and hourlong episodes often trump half-hours in Primetime Emmy acting races. Expect Clifton to claim his overdue first Emmy.

YOUNGER ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Brittany Allen, ‘All My Children,’ ABC
X - Lexi Ainsworth, ‘General Hospital,’ ABC
Emily O’Brien, ‘The Young and the Restless,’ CBS

‘General Hospital’ has done well in this category. Over the years, three of its actresses have won two apiece: Kimberly McCullough, Sarah Brown and, most recently, Julie Berman, who won the last two races before aging out of the Younger Actress contest. Expect Lexi Ainsworth to follow suit with her first win this year. She submitted an episode involving her relationship with an abusive boyfriend. Against underwhelming competition, she’s the standout.

TALK SHOW (ENTERTAINMENT)
‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show,’ syndicated
‘Live With Regis and Kelly,’ syndicated
X - ‘Rachael Ray,’ syndicated
‘The View,’ ABC

The talk show race has been distinguished by long winning streaks. ‘Donahue’ won six between 1978 and 1986. Then ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ won nine between 1987 and 1997. ‘The Rosie O’Donnell Show’ swept the race for the next five years (1998-2002), and ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ took over not long after that, winning four in a row from 2004 to 2007. But after the talk show category was split between entertainment and informative shows, ‘Rachael Ray’ pulled off a major coup, winning in 2008 and 2009 before ‘Ellen’ resumed its dominance in 2010. Expect ‘Rachael Ray’ to pull off a third victory this year for the same kind of inspirational episode that won the show its first two, this time about a struggling school in Philadelphia. But you can never rule out ‘Ellen.’

TALK SHOW (INFORMATIVE)
X - ‘The Doctors,’ syndicated
‘The Dr. Oz Show,’ syndicated
‘Dr. Phil,’ syndicated

In its first two years, this category was won by ‘The Tyra Banks Show.’ The now-canceled talker dropped out of the race last year, opening the door for ‘The Doctors’ to break through. Expect it to do so again this year, barring a surge from ‘Dr. Oz.’

TALK SHOW HOST
Travis Stork, Andrew Ordon, Jim Sears, Lisa Masterson, ‘The Doctors,’ syndicated
Mehmet Oz, ‘The Dr. Oz Show,’ syndicated
Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa, ‘Live With Regis and Kelly,’ syndicated
Rachael Ray, ‘Rachael Ray,’ syndicated
X - Sherri Shepherd, Barbara Walters, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, ‘The View,’ ABC

A look back through Daytime Emmy history might lead one to declare this an automatic two-person race between Rachael Ray and Mehmet Oz, because, in the history of the category, only once has a show with multiple hosts won this award: the ladies of ‘The View’ in 2009. Oz won last year, but ‘The View’ looks poised to pull off another upset thanks to an episode that boasts not only the return of Barbara Walters from heart surgery but also an interview with the leader of the free world, President Obama. Sentimental votes could go to ‘Regis and Kelly’ in light of Philbin’s planned retirement, but they’ll be a greater threat next year, when they can submit Philbin’s upcoming farewell episode.

GAME SHOW
X - ‘Cash Cab,’ Discovery
‘Jeopardy!’ syndicated
‘The Price Is Right,’ CBS
‘Wheel of Fortune,’ syndicated

‘Cash Cab’ has prevailed for the last three years in a row. It should win a fourth this year, but next year its streak could end if ‘Jeopardy!’ submits its man vs. machine episodes from earlier this year.

GAME SHOW HOST
X - Ben Bailey, ‘Cash Cab,’ Discovery
Todd Newton, ‘Family Game Night,’ the Hub
Wayne Brady, ‘Let’s Make a Deal,’ CBS
Meredith Vieira, ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,’ syndicated

Bailey won his first hosting Emmy for ‘Cash Cab’ last year, and Vieira won the year before, but Wayne Brady has often been an Emmy favorite, winning twice for his short-lived daytime talk show (2003, 2004) and a third at the Primetime Emmys for best variety performance in ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ Bailey could easily repeat, but no game show host has won consecutive Emmys since the 1990s. Hedge your bets. RELATED:

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