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applause applause

Outstanding Performer for the week of Nov. 1

Any of the power players involved in General Hospital's reveal that Kristina is Sonny's daughter - Maurice Benard, Tamara Braun, or Nancy Lee Grahn (Sonny, Carly and Alexis) - could have garnered Applause this week. Each delivered emotionally rich performances, but since Benard and Grahn were recently praised on this page, Braun gets the honor.
When Carly had to tell Sonny the truth, Braun infused Carly with a vulnerability that was reflected in every gesture and sigh. Knowing the truth would end her marriage, Carly gulped a drink and enjoyed one final tender moment with her husband. Slipping into Sonny's arms, she rhapsodized about their unusual courtship. Braun closed her eyes and smiled sweetly while Carly reflected on every wonderful second she and Sonny had spent together.
With their lovemaking over, Carly stared deeply into Sonny's eyes. There was an urgency in Braun's voice when Carly professed her love for him. Then she abruptly told him to hurry to the hospital because he is Kristina's father.
Gulp. Her head hung low, Carly admitted she had known the truth since the fire, when Alexis confided in her and begged her not to tell him. Courtney arrived to confront Carly about the matter and Carly regained some of her fire. Braun's tone turned indignant when Courtney asked if Carly had really wanted to tell Sonny the truth all along. Of course she had, but Carly had also wanted to avoid a ugly custody battle.
Despite Courtney's' observation that Sonny seemed to be taking the revelation calmly, an anxious Carly paced, knowing her her heart that her marriage would not survive this bombshell. There would be hell to pay once Kristina's health crisis was over. "If Sonny loses it, calls me a liar, and blames me for betraying him, then its over- and it should be," Carly signed in surrender. But Braun triumphed in her portrayal of a woman about to lose it all with masterful blend of bravado and regret.

Soap Opera Digest November 30, 2004