B&B Actors to Be Honored With NAACP Awards

PRESS RELEASE

Actors Dan Martin and Texas Battle (pictured) have been nominated in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for the 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards for their work on The Bold and the Beautiful, it was announced today.

Dan Martin joined the cast of B&B as “Lieutenant Baker” in 1997. For the past 12 years “Lt. Baker” has been a vital part of the series, entangled in the lives of the Forrester, Logan and Marone families during their times of crisis. Martin’s nomination was based upon his work during 2008 in the storyline involving the poisoning of Eric Forrester (played by John McCook).

Texas Battle first appeared on B&B as “Marcus Walton” in May, 2008. Battle’s character arrived at a time when the Forresters and the Logans were involved in deep emotional issues. It was soon revealed that Marcus was connected to the Logans, a secret that Donna (played by Jennifer Gareis) has been keeping since she was a teenager. Battle’s nomination was based upon the 2008 episode where Marcus and his mother Donna are reunited and Marcus desperately tries to understand how she could have abandoned him all those years ago.

This marks the first NAACP Image Award nomination for both Dan Martin and Texas Battle. Martin and Battle’s nominations make a total of seven NAACP Image Award nominations received by B&B. In 1993 Bradley P. Bell was nominated in the category of Outstanding Daytime Drama; in 1999 Usher was nominated in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for his role as “Raymond”; as was Antonio Sabato, Jr. in 2005 and 2006 for his role as “Dante Damiano”, and Mykel Shannon Jenkins in 2008 for his role as “Charlie Baker.”

The NAACP Image Awards honors projects and individuals that promote diversity in the arts in television, recording, literature and motion pictures. The 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards will broadcast live from Los Angeles’ historic Shrine Auditorium on Thursday, February 12 (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX and will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NAACP.

Interview: 2008 — The Year in Review

Just like in the world of soaps, a lot can happen in a year in the life of a soap-opera actor. Let’s take a look back at some of the things that stood out in 2008:

Luke Perry (pictured, ex-Dylan, Beverly Hills, 90210): “There are certain things I wanna do before I’m done. I want to run on top of a train. If the script says I get to run on top of a train, I’ll do it. I accepted a role a while back — my manager didn’t want me to because it wasn’t that good — but the script called for running on top of a train. I didn’t care, I wanted to do it, so I took the role. The movie ended up falling through, though, which I guess was good.”

Andrea Evans (Tina, One Life to Live): “So much has changed since I’ve been gone. I am excited to find out where Tina has been all this time. She is such a glamorous, over-the-top character — I really have fun playing her. Tina is someone that so many people can identify with. I love her spirit. She is such an underdog. She tries so hard, and yet she almost always screws it up.”

Antonio Sabato Jr. (Jagger, General Hospital: Night Shift): “Working with the cast, old and new, has been wonderful. It’s great seeing Kimberly (McCullough) again and working with her. I remember working with her when she was 16, and now she’s 30. I also worked with a director I used to work with — it’s like family. It really is like coming home.”

Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe, Days of Our Lives): “She was always very likable, but she was a damsel in distress. And she is human. No one stays the same their whole life. I love the sassy Chloe. And I especially love all the catfights with Nicole. A lot of people are happy for me as Nadia the actress, because I get to play new sides to Chloe.”

Sharon Case (Sharon, The Young and the Restless): “I’m glad there are those who feel that way (want Nick and Sharon back together). If there weren’t, then they wouldn’t care so much about the current story line. The conflict wouldn’t be there, and no one would want to watch. I also think this is something that we all can relate to: being with one person that you love and longing to be with another who you’ve loved longer and who really is your soul mate. It’s a tragic love story.”

Texas Battle (Marcus, The Bold and the Beautiful): “You always hear the cliché about soaps and how it’s not real, and how the acting is not real. Well, I have to say that the people I’ve met are the nicest, kindest people, and they really know their stuff. This is the same hard work that people put into other TV and film projects. If you’re good, you’re good. Period. And these people are good.”

Tristan Rogers (Robert, GH: NS): “Night Shift is a different version of General Hospital, no question about that. It gets back, in some respects, more to the roots of the show. I wasn’t around when the show first started, but it would certainly seem to touch on a lot of those themes of when the show first originated. It has a great entertainment value. Fans basically get to see another version of the show. We get to see a lot more of the medical side; we don’t go outside the world of the hospital. While we are in the same building, it definitely is different.”

Lesli Kay (Felicia, B&B): “Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester) is the best. She is my momma. I spend every holiday with her. She took me under her wing and there was mutual respect right off the bat. I love Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan) too. She’s my best friend here. As far as the rest of the cast, they are the most caring, loving, supportive people I’ve ever met. I’m very lucky to be on B&B.”

CASTING NEWS: A Fresh Face Joins B&B

Actor Texas Battle — perhaps best known to audiences for his roles in Coach Carter (with Samuel L. Jackson), Final Destination 3 and One Tree Hill — has been snapped up by the folks at The Bold and the Beautiful. He is scheduled to start airing in May, playing the part of Marcus.

Executive producer and head writer Bradley Bell announced today: “Marcus arrives on the scene at a time when the Forresters and the Logans are embroiled in deeply emotional issues. It is soon revealed that Marcus is connected to the Logans, a secret that Donna has been keeping since she was a teenager.”

Keep an eye on Daytime Dial, as we'll be featuring an interview with the young actor in the coming month.