Daytime Emmys 2012: General Hospital Tops Night With Five Wins, Days Grabs Two
The 39th Daytime Emmy Awards were handed out on Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, and broadcast on HLN.
General Hospital led the pack by scoring five wins in the broadcast categories, including Outstanding Drama Series and a record seventh trophy for Anthony Geary. Nancy Lee Grahn meanwhile grabbed gold for the first time since 1989 (when she was first honored for Santa Barbara).
Viewers also were treated to a conspicuously clip-free tribute to the cancelled All My Children and One Life to Live, which combined offered 80-plus years' worth of moments to cull from. (That torturous bit of awkwardness, though well-intended, was allegedly the result of some sort of legal and/or rights tussle.)
Here are the winners in the major races; miscellaneous foodie and courtroom show stragglers might (might) be found at our sister site Deadline:
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA
WINNER | Anthony Geary, General Hospital
Accepting his seventh career Daytime Emmy, the most for any actor, Geary said, "It's a good way for GH to start [the night]. We have 23 nominations which is pretty amazing since last year we were almost canceled for... 'Celebrity Boob Jobs Gone Wrong,' I think it was." (Or The Revolution.)
OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A DRAMA
WINNER | Days of Our Lives
AKA Days' first writing win in 36 years.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
WINNER | Jonathan Jackson, GH
Besting no less than three Port Charles peers (Bradford Anderson, Sean Blakemore and Jason Thompson) to score his second consecutive trophy and fifth to date, JJ deemed the prize "a testament to [TV dad] Anthony Geary and his humanity and love and graciousness toward me." He also name-checked scene partner Rebecca Herbst and "the monks on Mt. Athos who are ceaselessly praying for the life of the world."
YOUNGER ACTOR
WINNER | Chandler Massey, Days
First-time winner!
OUTSTANDING MORNING PROGRAM
WINNER | Today
Breaking a tie (three wins) with Good Morning America. [Insert your own Ann Curry joke.]
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
WINNER | Heather Tom, The Bold and the Beautiful
The first actress to win in the Younger, Supporting and now Lead categories, first-time mom-to-be Tom said upon arriving on stage, "My baby is going crazy!" The daytime vet then said to her peers, "I am so proud of the work we do each day, and we should all feel that way."
TALK SHOW – INFORMATIVE
WINNER | The Dr. Oz Show
TALK SHOW - ENTERTAINMENT
WINNER | Live With Regis & Kelly
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
WINNER | Nancy Lee Grahn, GH
"OH MY FRIGGIN GOD!!!!" NLG shared via Twitter (as a previous obligation kept her from attending in person). "I'M IN MY JAMMIES with my family who mean more to me than anything!!!! So TRULY happy!!!"
TALK SHOW HOST
WINNER | Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, Live With Regis & Kelly
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A DRAMA
WINNER | GH
YOUNGER ACTRESS
WINNER | Christel Khalil, The Young and the Restless
"I guess the fourth time [nominated] is the charm, huh?" the ingenue said in accepting her award.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
WINNER | GH
Jill Farren Phelps, the show boss for GH's eligible run of episodes, hailed "a company of actors who have touched so many hearts for so many years.." Then, with a literal nod to her successor Frank Valentini, she said: "Somebody told me that the best stories are the ones that never end, so from the old guard to the new guard: Keep the magic going."
And there you have it! Which wins are you cheering most loudly?