Seeing this latest trend in best/worst threads, I thought to start my own.

Who are some of your favourite daytime divas, those bigger-than-life, magnetic, super stylish femmes fatales of daytime? It can be anyone from a long-forgotten guest star in the '70s to the main female protagonist on the show. Villainess, fairy godmother, the characters ethics and morality are not the point.

And not to forget: is there a particularly soapy name of a female character you like? Like e.g. Dominique Deveraux (not daytime, but hey), Angelique DuVal, Helena Cassadine, those French/Italian/German/Greek sounding names, that sort of thing.

P. S. If a mod could change the b in the title to a capital, I'd be grateful.

Edited October 19, 200916 yr by Sylph

I LOVED the name Cecile de Pougnaliac. I don't know if I spelled it right but I loved the way it sounded.

Favorites?

Iris Cory. Lucinda Walsh. Alexandra Spaulding. Tracy Quartermaine (pre-Luke). Angelique Bouchard. Jill Foster. Diane Ballard. Vanessa Chamberlain. Liza Colby. Rae Woodard.

I miss seeing businesswomen on soaps.

Easy choice. Lucinda Walsh and Barbara Ryan from As the World Turns.

I LOVED the name Cecile de Pougnaliac. I don't know if I spelled it right but I loved the way it sounded.

I believe it's dePoulignac, but I'm there with ya on the love. She's easily one of my faves.

Some others worth mentioning:

Jill Foster Abbott (Y&R)

Diane Jenkins (ONLY ALEX DONNELY, Y&R)

Liza Colby (AMC)

Brooke English (AMC)

Ava Rescott (moreso applies to Lisa Peluso's run than Roya Megnot's (though I liked Megnot in the role), LOV)

Lucinda Walsh (ATWT)

Barbara Ryan (ATWT)

Dorian Lord (OLTL)

Annie Richards (SUN)

Augusta Lockridge (SB)

Erica Kane has to be somewhere near the top of any list of this kind. I love Tracy Quartermaine but there is a crudeness to her than diminishes any style points. I loved Rae Woodard from Ryan's Hope, and perhaps my favorite of them all is shop owner Daisy Cortlandt aka Monique Jonvil. There was just something so stylish about her and I can see how even cold hearted Palmer fell victim to her charms.

Sydney Chase, THE CITY (Bonus points for Morgan providing most of her own wardrobe.)

I thought Rachel looked great during her Cory Publishing days on ANOTHER WORLD, before she got all artsy and willowy with Carl.

I know we're talking daytime here, but we have to shout out la creme de la creme: Alexis Colby, Abby Ewing, Dominique Deveraux, Sable Colby...

First of all, it is sad that many of my choices stem from the past -- the go-go 80s and 90s. With a few peripheral exceptions. Nowadays, most of the "heroines" marry or shtupp a guy for money and some semblance of power.

It ain't Daytime but IMO this woman tops the list:

and if you need to ask why, just look at her. Joan Collins is a force of nature and she alone made Dynasty a must-see. Signature move: angrily stubbing out her Virginia Slims in an untouched prawn cocktail.

Well, obviously Sable Colby. My favorite.

Tania Turner: Alexis Colby's one and only heir.

Daytime:

My favorite Kate Roberts.

Family photo time. Child with hairband? Check. Shoulder pads? ChecK? Appropriately large jewels and red manicure? Check.

The only two women truly committed to their work (and who didn't have to f*ck a guy to get to where they are) on GH.

Edited October 20, 200916 yr by Cat

Sable Colby was divine. I remember Christopher Schmering writing about how you could see Charlton Heston cringing at the click clack of those heels, as Stephanie Beacham was about to come in and steal another scene from him. I loved her rivalry with Alexis. I wish they had been on Dynasty together longer! Stephanie singlehandedly made that last season work, along with someone belatedly remembering that Fallon was not a weeping whiner.

Joan Collins Fashion Tribute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St7Lty8zQW0

Tracy Scoggins -- a force to be reckoned with!

"I'm not after Blake, I'm after you!"

I love that. It's like their own little Johnny Guitar.

Stephanie and Joan both managed to sell their charisma and sheer brass into fame long after their biggest roles ended.

How could I forget Dominique Devereaux? Aka the magnificent Diahann Carroll?

Incidentally, Dominique Devereaux is an awesome name for a magnetic businesswoman! A first and last name beginning with the same letter is always a good place to start, as is something French-sounding. I also love Alexis (love any Russian name actually. Natasha, Svetlana, etc) Morel Carrington Colby Carrington Dexter.

Slightly OT but I remeber watching AMC with my mom (who is french) as a kid and they had some gothic lady character called Angélique. It made my mom crack up the way everybody pronounced Angélique (Ohn-shay-leeeeee-kuh) as "Ann. Djuh. Leek."

Sable Colby was divine. I remember Christopher Schmering writing about how you could see Charlton Heston cringing at the click clack of those heels, as Stephanie Beacham was about to come in and steal another scene from him. I loved her rivalry with Alexis. I wish they had been on Dynasty together longer! Stephanie singlehandedly made that last season work, along with someone belatedly remembering that Fallon was not a weeping whiner.

Preach it. Joan Collins as Alexis is amazing but Beacham differentiated Sable from being just another Alexis clone divinely. You felt that Sable always had very human motives behind every thing she did, her relationship with son Miles was a freudian web o' tangled emotion and I loved her scenes with Barbara Stanwyck on The Colbys. In fact, I even liked it better than Dynasty at the time, in no small part thanks to SB.

Fallon. I liked Emma Samms better than Pamela Sue Martin at the time (well, I was only 10), but now I look back and wonder what was I thinking! I am convinced that Aaron Spelling should have hired Sherilyn Wolter who was on GH with Samms but he mistook Wolter for being "the one who played Holly."

Tracy Scoggins -- a force to be reckoned with!

"I'm not after Blake, I'm after you!"

I love that. It's like their own little Johnny Guitar.

Stephanie and Joan both managed to sell their charisma and sheer brass into fame long after their biggest roles ended.

Those two are amazing together, absolutely unique. There fab one-liners in that show, anthology-worth ones.

How could I forget Dominique Devereaux? Aka the magnificent Diahann Carroll?

Yup. Which is why I mentioned her in my first post. Both Diahann and Dominique are such fabulously gorgeous, spot-on names, it's amazing! Never get old!

I loved this creation of Nolan's (BTW, apparently, he is battling cancer ), this vestal virgin-type of diva clothing! That orange lipstick, those golden eye shadows, so difficult to pull out - magnificent!

Edited October 20, 200916 yr by Sylph

Annie Richards (SUN)

Annie was magnetic, but certainly not stylish. Her wardrobe was always reminiscent of a West Hollywood callgirl.

Lauren Koslow's Kate fit this description to a "T" especially after Reilly I. And Mo Garrett during JFP's run.

Sydney Chase, THE CITY (Bonus points for Morgan providing most of her own wardrobe.)

Spot on! Morgan Fairchild forever!

Mo Garrett, who did she play?

I wish Dynasty had done more with Dominique. She ended up devolving into a mess of mother love stories.

I do think Emma Samms had the potential to play an edgy Fallon, if they'd made the effort. In the last season she was sort of that way. I remember the mud fight between Sammy Jo and Fallon, over Jeff, until finally they said, "Why are we fighting over HIM? He's not worth it!" I loved that so much.

Edited October 20, 200916 yr by CarlD2