GH, Y&R top winners at Daytime Emmy Awards
LOS ANGELES – “General Hospital” and “The Young and the Restless” were the top Daytime Emmy Award winners Sunday with three trophies each, while the latter shared the best drama series award with “Days of Our Lives.”
The ceremony opened with a pretaped segment in which Matt Lauer and Ellen DeGeneres agreed to end their faux feud. The punchline: DeGeneres had sneakily edited the tape to put Lauer’s head atop a man’s chiseled body clad only in tasseled pasties, briefs and lace-topped stockings.
The “Today” host, or his shimmying facsimile, agreed to donate a thousand dollars to an unspecified charity each time he was thanked by winners during the ceremony.
“CBS Sunday Morning” host Charles Osgood, whose show was honored as best morning program, offered a heartfelt shoutout to Lauer.
“Thank you for doing what you did because, God knows, I don’t want to do that,” said the 82-year-old Osgood.
The ceremony took a dignified turn when Betty White was honored with a lifetime achievement award.
“Hello, beautiful,” she said to her trophy. “When I started in 1949 I had no idea that I’d still be around at this point, for one thing, or that I’d still be privileged enough to still be in this business. And it is such a privilege.”
A beaming Craig Ferguson, replaced by James Corden as host of CBS’ “The Late Late Show,” accepted the trophy for best game show host for “Celebrity Name Game.”
Freddie Smith was honored as best younger actor in a drama for his role as Sonny in “Days of Our Lives.” His character and that of Will (played by Guy Wilson) were part of daytime TV’s first gay wedding with two men.
The ceremony featured the reunion of Anthony Geary and Genie Francis, the former “General Hospital” couple of Luke and Laura, who presented the trophy for best drama series, a tie, to “Days of Our Lives” and “The Young and the Restless.”
Geary was a winner as well, accepting his eighth Emmy for his “General Hospital” role, while fellow series star Maura West was named best lead drama actress.
Other winners included Amelia Heinle, best supporting actress in a drama series for “The Young and the Beautiful,” and Chad Duell, best supporting actor for “General Hospital.”
Among the winners Sunday were “Jeopardy!,” best game show; Steve Harvey, host of an informative talk show; “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” entertainment talk show; “Entertainment Tonight,” entertainment news program; Hunter King, younger actress in a drama series, “The Young and the Restless”; and Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, entertainment talk show hosts, for “Live! with Kelly and Michael.”