29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards: A Primetime Affair Honoring Daytime's FinestNew York, NY - It had all the earmarks of a daytime drama, the charming, fast witted silver haired host, the teary-eyed ingénue, the passing of a patriarch and the controversy involving a frequently scorned woman who waits in the wings, breathlessly wondering to herself, "me? Who me?"

It could have been a daytime drama. Instead it was a primetime affair honoring the extraordinary efforts of daytime television's finest. On May 17th, live from the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, the 29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were presented. The ceremony was broadcast on CBS.

Host Bob Barker opened the show by paying tribute to the city of New York. The event was the first major awards show in New York since September 11th. Barker called the Big Apple, "the city that once again has proven its greatness."

The evening's first award winner set the tone for the roller coaster ride of a night. All My Childen's Josh Duhamel won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Leo duPres. An overwhelmed, Duhamel, ran, not for the stage, but to the back of the house, into the cheering, delighted crowd in search of his mother and sister, who he paid tribute to in his acceptance of the Emmy. It was Duhamel's first win in 2 nominations.

A special moment was turned in by longtime host of the PBS series Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton, who won for Outstanding Performer in a Children' Series. A clearly surprised Burton took to the stage amid thundering applause and said "this is proof positive that if you hang around long enough good things happen to you."
Another PBS show, Sesame Street, won it's eight consecutive award for Outstanding Pre-school Children's Series. No other program has ever won in that category. Even more astounding, Sesame Street, in its 33rd year, has won a total of 79 Emmys and has been nominated 230 times. Executive Producer Michael Loman said the show is still a "path for children in today's complex world, a path filled with intelligence and humor and kindness and most of all, inclusion, where every child is welcome."

Attending his first Daytime Emmy Award Ceremony, new President of the National Television Academy, Peter Price, echoed the sentiments of Burton and Loman, in calling for an emphasis on the future. "I would like to address my brief remarks to the future, and since the future always means kids, the National Academy is focusing it's efforts on our awards and education programs for young people."

His Los Angeles counterpart, Bryce Zabel chose to recognized the importance of the world of television as a thread that connects Americans at a difficult time, when the term glued to your TV has taken on a new emphasis. "We needed that hopeful spirit," Zabel said. "We needed to talk about 9/11 with our friends on television, and we needed to see dramatic characters carrying on with their lives in a changed world. Daytime television helped by increasing America's sense of a shared community."

Perhaps the evening's most significant and affecting moment came by way of a man who wasn't even there, a man who was also once fond of commenting on television's past, present and future, a man who once steered the Academy's ship of state. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented posthumously to former President John Cannon. Barbara Walters, introduced a moving tribute to Cannon and presented the award to his widow and lifelong partner at the Academy, Trudy, and his daughter Connie.

Connie, in accepting the award for the family, paid tribute to her father and acknowledged the important role her mother played in the shape and growth of the Academy. "He was the National Academy's visionary," she said, "and she (Trudy) was the backbone. I know my dad's up there watching this and I know he's absolutely thrilled."
The ceremony also welcomed back an old friend of daytime television, Phil Donahue, whose new show, Donahue, on MSNBC, premiered last month. Himself a visionary in the world of daytime talk, Donahue was on hand to present the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host to Rosie O'Donnell, a six time winner of the award. This completes a sweep of the award for O'Donnell, who has won every year that she was nominated and was nominated in every year of her show's history.

O'Donnell, whose acceptance speeches in previous years were emotional and tearful, was strong and confident in saying goodbye to six years of what she called the most creative time in her life. "The amount of grace I've been able to experience through this job", she said, "has been life-altering." O'Donnell's show also took home the award for Otstanding Talk Show.
The Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor went to Peter Bergman for his portrayal of Jack Abbott in The Young And The Restless.

With anticipation building and the ceremony closing in on the Outstanding Drama Series award, the Emmy nominees were named for the category made famous by Susan Lucci, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. This is where things got interesting. When Justin Torkildsen and Adrienne Frantz bellowed out the winner's name, Susan…Flannery, Lucci, standing in the wings of the theatre, looked out in confusion and mouthed Flannery's name, questioning what was said and who won. Apparently someone else, also off-stage, with Lucci, mistakenly told her that she had indeed won. "Me?" she asked, as the camera lingered on her. She slowly walked out on stage cupping her face and composing herself, only to be called back when an exuberant Susan Flannery hit her mark at the microphone and accepted the award. Lucci has been nominated 21 times and won only once, but she continues to make things interesting, win or lose.

Finally, fitting the twists and turns, of one of the more interesting Daytime Emmy Awards Ceremonies, One Life to Live took home the Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Award and shocked the soap world. It was the show's first win in that category in the program's 34 year history. The show won against tough competition, as well, beating out The Young And The Restless, which has 5 wins in 23 nominations and All My Children, with 3 wins in 27 nominations. Show Executive Producer Gary Tomlin was joined on stage by his overjoyed, yet surprised cast and crew. "We are stunned and amazed…and we thank you!" Tomlin said, quite a fitting quote to end a dramatic Emmy Award ceremony.