May 19, 2000
The Daytime Emmy’s - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- Tonight (the 19th), the world of daytime television will gather at New York’s venerable Radio City Music Hall for their annual pat on the back - The Daytime Emmy’s.
Last year’s show was memorable for one reason and one reason only. For the first time in 19 nominations, All My Children’s Susan Lucci, finally carted off the Emmy for best actress. That night proved that pigs did freeze over and that hell did fly. This year, surprisingly (or not) Miss Lucci was left off the Emmy ballot. Another lady from All My Children, Finola Hughes (Finola Who?) is nominated along with a bunch of other soap queens.
The world of Daytime TV is the abode of soap stars, trash TV talkers and self-help gurus. Everyone from Lucci to Luke and Laura, Jerry Springer and Oprah and Rosie, to Julia Child, Martha and Judge Judy. I don’t watch soaps, because for one thing it’s about that old cliché, that if you missed one show it was practically suicide in keeping up with plots and storylines. I’m practically never home for talk shows, and when I am home I always miss the good parts, whatever the hell that is.
The world of daytime TV for me, is much the same of Broadway theatre. I watch the Tony’s and take a vested interest in their outcome, but like millions of other’s I’ve never ventured yonder to the Great White Way and seen any of the nominees. For me, the Daytime Emmy’s thrive on buzz, pre-conceptions and stuff of the sort.
I can honestly bet that General Hospital will win the Best Drama trophy, because it’s won it almost every single year I’ve been watching the Emmy’s. Which is roughly 6 years now; it lost only once in that period.
The other big thing is that after 8 nods, Regis Philbin has never received an Emmy. And that’s a travesty that dates back before the whole Millionaire success. He and his co-host Kathie Lee Gifford have been nodded in the past, but have lost to either Montel Williams, Rosie O’Donnell or Oprah Winfrey in the last 10 years or so. A surprise is the simple fact that Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? is nominated for a Daytime Emmy, even though it has never aired outside of primetime.
The gist of that is the fact that the Primetime Emmy’s (presented in the fall) don’t have a category for game shows. So this year, Millionaire is up against: Jeopardy!, Win Ben Stein’s Money (last year’s winner), Hollywood Squares and the long-time fave, The Price Is Right. Who’ll win? Well, as is the custom with the Emmy’s, primetime or daytime there’s always room for a surprise.
Oh yeah, Susan Lucci will be there, as will Rosie, Oprah and the Reege. (Oprah Winfrey will present this year’s Lifetime Achievement award to the legendary Barbara Walters, which is a suspect choice, but that’s another column.) Erica Kane will not be nominated this year, but she’ll be hosting. Gee, the last time she hosted, she co-hosted with Regis.
It comes full circle, don’t it?
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