Young and the Restless leads Daytime Emmy nominees

2/8/2006

NEW YORK CBS The Young and the Restless earned a leading 18 Daytime Emmy nominations today, including best soap opera, although no one from its cast was nominated in the lead acting categories.

Ellen DeGeneres, whose hit daytime series won best talk show the last two years and who was also named best talk show host last year, has a chance to repeat in both categories. Her show earned 11 nominations overall.

After many years of being held in New York, the Daytime Emmys are moving West. The 33rd annual awards ceremony will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on April 28, televised by ABC.

General Hospital, which has won eight Daytime Emmys as best soap opera, was nominated again. It will vie with The Young and the Restless, Guiding Light and As the World Turns.

Nominees for lead actor in a daytime drama: Maurice Benard and Anthony Geary of General Hospital, Robert Newman and Ron Raines of Guiding Light and Thorsten Kaye of All My Children.

Two other Guiding Light cast members Beth Ehlers and Kim Zimmer earned best actress nominations. They ll compete against Bobbie Eakes of All My Children, Susan Flannery of The Bold and the Beautiful and Kelly Monaco of General Hospital.

Meredith Vieira has the chance for an unusual double win: she s nominated for best game show host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and best talk show host as part of The View ensemble.

The View was also nominated for best talk show, along with DeGeneres series, Live with Regis & Kelly and Dr. Phil. Good thing for its hosts because the nominations were announced live on The View.

Co-host Star Jones worried about it before the nominations were announced.

There is nothing more humiliating than sitting here in all this hair and makeup and not getting nominated, she said.

Martha Stewart s new series Martha was nominated for outstanding service show, and she was nominated for best service show host.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences also said it would honor Carroll Spinney, whom children know better as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, with its lifetime achievement award.

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