No. 10: Shenell Edmonds, One Life to Live

One Life to Live made the wise decision to give Todd's (Trevor St. John) bulky bodguard Shaun (Sean Ringold) a family of his own to protect and spar with in 2009. As Shaun's straight-shooting kid sister Destiny, daytime newcomer Shenell Edmonds has proven to be quite the refreshing departure from the stick thin, fair-skinned teens who populate most daytime soaps. The chemistry Edmonds shares with Ringold and the rest of the actors who make up the Evans clan is a ready one, not to mention the fact that Destiny's heartbreaking devotion to Matthew Buchanan (Eddie Alderson) makes you remember when love was young, surprising and oh-so-bittersweet. READ MORE

No. 10: Jason and Sam, General Hospital

Daytime Confidential has a reputation for being a pro-Liason site. Okay, technically this isn't an undeserved rap, since the majority of our bloggers favor the Jason and Liz (Steve Burton and Rebecca Herbst) pairing over JaSam (We still love ya, Jillian!), but our mourning over the loss of Liason had absolutely nothing to do with why JaSam finds itself on our list of the Worst Couples of 2009— we promise. Brian Frons's manufactured, wannabe Bonnie and Clyde pairing earned their spot on this list without any help from Nurse Liz Webber. After forcing Bob Guza to split up Liason, reportedly citing JaSam's popularity over Liason (yeah, tell that to the Nielsens), Frons and JaSam lovers got their dream come true in 2009, while the rest of us threw up a little in our mouths as Sam re-entered Jason's orbit via a rushed kidnapping storyline for Jason and Liz's lovechild Jake, that saw Sam literally try to make up for having watched Jake being kidnapped herself earlier, not to mention hiring goons to terrorize Jason's son and little Cameron, all before the commercial break during a car scene. If that wasn't bad enough, the moment JaSam begin "finding their way back to one another", GH became a watered down version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, once again, thanks to JaSam's mobtacular activities. Kudos to  Burton and Kelly Monaco for giving it their all in trying to sell this farce, but sorry Fronsie, we ain't buying it!

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No. 10: Jackie and Owen, The Bold and the Beautiful

"Cougar" storylines were all the rage in 2009, but not all big cats were created equal. Unlike All My Children's contrived, dare-we-say, icky Erica and Ryan (Susan Lucci and Cameron Mathison) pairing, the relationship between Jackie (Lesley-Anne Down) and Owen (Brandon Beemer) on The Bold and the Beautiful felt organic and highly erotic. Gorgeous, much younger, stud Owen Knight helped revitalize sophisticated, fashion maven Jackie Marone, even as their relationship stirred up conflict with Jackie's son, Nick (Jack Wagner). From catwalks to Hawaiian beaches and many a photo shoot in between, Jowen flaunted their relationship—and Beemer's delicious abs— proving that some cougars are definitely better than others!

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No. 10: Mitch Laurence and Allison Perkins—One Life to Live

It does't get much more frightening than Mitch Laurence, the twisted ex-boyfriend of Tina Lord (Andrea Evans) whose first reign of terror in Llanview started way back in 1985. Following a stint in prison for murder, Mitch transformed himself into a religious cult leader finding a devoted worshipper/willing accomplice in bat shit crazy Allison Perkins (Barbara Garrick). Rape, murder, kidnapping, you name it, Mitch Laurence and Allison Perkins have done it all, mostly to Viki Lord (Erika Slezak) and her twin daughters Jessica (Bree Williamson) and Natalie (Melissa Archer). Eterna only knows what Mitch and Allison have in store for the Lords and Buchanans this time around!

Horrifying Mention: Victor Lord.

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Funny how the universe sometimes lines up and minds think alike, isn't it? Guiding Light is in the thoughts of a lot of people these days. Bloggers, soap journalists and industry watchers — not to mention the writers, cast and crew of GL — are all on pins and needles about this 72 year old institution. The writing has been on the wall among commentators on the Internet and in the soap press for some time regarding GL's maybe/probably/likely cancellation, which would essentially signal the final march along daytime's trail of tears as the end of the genre.

The signs are obvious and ominous: GL has been hovering at a 1.5 rating for the last few months, a situation exacerbated by a genre-crushing free fall in advertising revenues, which have in turn led to massive budget cuts by the networks for all the shows. If GL doesn't get its act together by the Ides of April, as our own Jamey Giddens so aptly put it, the oldest series on broadcast television will bite the dust. However, there is hope. As has been reported here, Guiding Light needs the minimum of a steady 1.8 rating to avoid getting the ax.

Back to minds thinking alike: Just as I was finalizing this list, Mr. Giddens posted his "Top 10 Last Ditch Stunts To Save Guiding Light," followed by Spauldingfield's awesome GL promo posted by Luke Kerr. Because of their excellent efforts I almost decided to not post these recommendations, but the situtation at Guiding Light is so important to those of us who love the show that I felt it was more important to contribute to the call to keep GL on the air and risk repetition than not do so. Therefore, consider these considerations an addition to their efforts. GL needs viewers not tomorrow, but today and here are ten reasons to tune in right now! READ MORE

The Ides of April are fast approaching for Guiding Light and although, to be quite honest (Sorry, I don't know any other way), I don't see how Ellen and Co. will be able to pull it out this time, however I figured I would take one last stab at trying to be proactive and throw out a few oh-so humble suggestions on how to save the soap:

10.) Re-hire Pamela K. Long – Fresh from her stint head writing NBC's short-lived Another World spinoff Texas, Pam Long joined Guiding Light as head writer in 1983 and helped the soap best even ratings juggernaut General Hospital for a time with her youthful stories of the Four Musketeers (Phillip, Mindy, Beth and Rick), as well as the splashy, torrid love affair of one Joshua "Bud" Lewis and Reva Shayne. I doubt if Long were back at the helm this show would need a population of head writers that rivals my hometown back in Texas. READ MORE