'Bold and the Beautiful,' Laura Wright and Michael Park win Daytime Emmys

"The Bold and the Beautiful" won best drama series at the Daytime Emmys for a third year in a row after just six nominations.

Laura Wright ("General Hospital") won best actress. It was her first Emmy in a long career that included previous roles on "Guiding Light" and "Loving." "This has been 20 years of the best career ever!"

For the second year in a row, Michael Park won best actor for "As the World Turns," which was recently canceled. He was not present to accept since he's starring on Broadway in "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying."

"Ellen" won best talk show for a sixth time, tying it with "Donahue" and "The Merv Griffin Show" as the second biggest winner of the category after "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (nine wins).

One of the big surprises of the night was in the category of best talk show host. Kelly Ripa finally won an Emmy with co-host Regis Philbin, who had triumphed solo in the category in 2001. Neither was on hand to accept the prize, which they shared in a tie with Dr. Mehmet Oz ("Dr. Oz"), who was present.

There was a bit of a let-down when the ceremony reached its much-hyped tribute to Oprah Winfrey, who received an honorary award for her 25 years in daytime TV. She accepted it via a taped recording from the set of the now-defunct "Oprah Winfrey Show" in Chicago.

Just as it has in recent years when the ceremony was also held in Las Vegas, the Daytime Emmys often seemed like more of a two-hour plug for Sin City than a celebration of TV's best programs. Worst moment: dancing Elvis impersonators. Other promos plagued the kudocast too. Late in the telecast, producers rushed first-time winner Scott Clifton (best younger actor, "Bold and the Beautiful") off stage because the ceremony was running behind schedule, then introduced a frivolous segment promoting travel to the Universal theme park in Orlando, Fla.

Below, a list of winners:

Best Drama Series: "The Bold and the Beautiful"
Best Actor: Michael Park, "As the World Turns"
Best Actress: Laura Wright, "General Hospital"
Best Supporting Actor: Jonathan Jackson, "General Hospital"
Best Supporting Actress: Heather Tom, "The Bold and the Beautiful"
Best Younger Actor: Scott Clifton, "The Bold and the Beautiful"
Best Younger Actress: Brittany Allen, "All My Children"
Best Drama Series Writing: "The Young and the Restless"
Best Drama Series Direction: (Tie) "The Bold and the Beautiful," "The Young and the Restless"
Best Talk Show: "Ellen"
Best Talk Show Informative: "Dr. Oz"
Best Talk Show Host: (Tie) Dr. Mehmet Oz, "Dr. Oz"; Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin, "Live with Regis and Kelly"
Best Game Show: (Tie) “Jeopardy!,” “Wheel of Fortune”
Best Game Show Host: Ben Bailey, "Cash Cab"

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Photo gallery: Daytime Emmy Arrivals

-- Tom O'Neil

Photos: Executive producer Bradley Bell with cast & crew accept the Best Drama Series award for "The Bold and the Beautiful" (Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images); and the Emmy statuette. (Credit: National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences).

Daytime Emmy predictions: 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' Michael Park, Colleen Zenk

Peering into my crystal ball, here's who I see prevailing on Sunday night when the Daytime Emmys are doled out at the Las Vegas Hilton (8 p.m. ET/PT, CBS).

— Tom O'Neil

DRAMA SERIES
"All My Children," ABC
X - "The Bold and the Beautiful," CBS
"General Hospital," ABC
"The Young and the Restless," CBS

"B&B" is on a roll, having won the last two years in a row. The episode it submitted to the Emmy judges takes a break from its usual formula to raise awareness about the homeless. The same episode earned the show nominations for writing, directing and lead actress (Susan Flannery), so expect that wide support to translate to a win in the top race. But watch out for this year's most nominated show, "General Hospital," which features Oscar nominee James Franco in its sample episode.


LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ricky Paull Goldin, "All My Children," ABC
X - Michael Park, "As the World Turns," CBS
James Scott, "Days of Our Lives," NBC
Maurice Benard, "General Hospital," ABC
Christian LeBlanc, "The Young and the Restless," CBS

Emmy loves to repeat herself. In the last seven years, this award has gone three times to Anthony Geary ("General Hospital") and three times to Christian LeBlanc ("The Young and the Restless"). This year Geary is not nominated, and LeBlanc's submitted episode is considered a non-starter, so expect a repeat for last year's winner, Michael Park ("ATWT"), whose show was canceled last year. "Days" star James Scott has serious upset potential, but the NBC show has a spotty track record. It hasn't won this category since 1975 (Macdonald Carey).


LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Alicia Minshew, "All My Children," ABC
Debbi Morgan, "All My Children," ABC
X - Colleen Zenk, "As the World Turns," CBS
Susan Flannery, "The Bold and the Beautiful," CBS
Laura Wright, "General Hospital," ABC
Michelle Stafford, "The Young and the Restless," CBS

Susan Flannery ("The Bold and the Beautiful") is a four-time winner. She submitted the episode expected to result in a win for drama series, but she doesn't demonstrate very much emotional impact or range in it. However, Colleen Zenk ("As the World Turns") runs the gamut of emotions in her wedding-themed sample episode. This is only Zenk's third nomination in her 32-year run on the canceled soap, but expect her to edge out the venerable Flannery.


SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
X - Jonathan Jackson, "General Hospital," ABC
Jason Thompson, "General Hospital," ABC
Brian Kerwin, "One Life to Live," ABC
Doug Davidson, "The Young and the Restless," CBS
Billy Miller, "The Young and the Restless," CBS

Jonathan Jackson won best younger actor three times in the 1990s for "General Hospital," left the show, then returned almost a decade later in 2009. He submitted a knockout episode in which his character discovers that his wife is having an affair with his half-brother. This is the safest bet in the acting categories.


SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Melissa Claire Egan, "All My Children," ABC
Julie Pinson, "As the World Turns," CBS
Heather Tom, "The Bold and the Beautiful," CBS
Nancy Lee Grahn, "General Hospital," ABC
Bree Williamson, "One Life to Live," ABC
X - Tricia Cast, "The Young and the Restless," CBS

A close three-way race between Pinson ("As the World Turns"), Tom ("The Bold and the Beautiful") and Cast ("Y&R"). All three are previous winners, but expect Cast (whose previous victory was in the younger actress race in 1992) to prevail for an episode in which one of her sons kills the other.

Daytime Emmy poll: Who will win lead actor?

It's neck and neck between "As the World Turns" star Michael Park and "Days of Our Lives" hunk James Scott in the race for best actor at this year's Daytime Emmys. Park is the defending champion, winning for the first time last year after three nominations for his role as crusading detective Jack Snyder on the canceled CBS soap. A stage actor before he joined the TV series, he can now be seen in the Tony-winning revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" on Broadway.

But while Park hopes to defend his best actor title, another strong contender is looking for his first victory. Scott -- nominated for the second year in a row as the dastardly EJ DiMera on the NBC sudser -- is right on his heels thanks to the strength of the episode submission he made to Emmy judges. In it, he  portrays a drunk and desperate man threatening to run away with his kids. But while victory would be a milestone for Scott, it would be an even greater breakthrough for "Days of Our Lives," which hasn't won a best actor Emmy since Macdonald Carey in 1975 –- four years before Scott was born.

Also posing a major threat in the best actor race is daytime's resident godfather Maurice Benard, who has played "General Hospital" mob boss Sonny Corinthos since 1993 but has only won a single Emmy for best actor (2003). In his episode submission this year, he shows a more caring side of his criminal character, confronting the man who attacked his teenage daughter. This year, Benard doesn't have to compete against his indomitable co-star Anthony Geary, who plays the iconic Luke Spencer (of Luke & Laura fame) and has prevailed in this category a record six times, most recently in 2008.

But he does have to compete against Christian LeBlanc of "The Young and the Restless," a three-time best actor winner (2005, 2007, 2009) who has only lost this category once when nominated (in 2008, to Geary). In his sample episode this year, he pleads with his wife to seek medical treatment for blackouts without knowing that she's actually an impostor.

Ricky Paull Goldin, now a four-time nominee, rounds out the category. He's nominated for playing Dr. Jake Martin on "All My Children," a role that earned him a supporting nod last year. He submitted a comic episode to judges in which he proposes to his girlfriend. Comic performances are sometimes nominated at the Daytime Emmys, where they represent an often welcome change of pace from the waterworks on display from most contenders, but when it comes to picking a winner, Emmy usually opts for tears over cheers.

-- Tom O'Neil

Photos: Michael Parks, left (CBS); James Scott, right (NBC)

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Daytime Emmy poll: Who will win lead actress?

Some of the grande dames of daytime TV clash with a few fresh faces in the race for lead actress at the Daytime Emmys.

This is the last chance for Colleen Zenk, who played Barbara Ryan on "As the World Turns" from 1978 until the show's cancellation last year. After 32 years on the soap, this year marks only her third nomination, after a supporting nod in 2001 and a promotion to the lead category in 2002.

Zenk lost the 2002 race to Susan Flannery, who won the second of her three Emmys for "The Bold and the Beautiful" (she won a fourth for "Days of Our Lives" back in 1975). The two go head-to-head again this year in a race that very well might come down to the two of them. Zenk submitted an emotional episode to the Emmy judges in which she marries a younger man. Flannery entered a poignant encounter with a homeless woman.

Both nominees need to get past Debbi Morgan, who won the  supporting actress prize in 1989 for playing Dr. Angie Hubbard, half of daytime's first African American super couple. She left the show in 1990 but returned in 2008, and now she may make history again. If she wins, she will be the first African American woman to win lead actress at the Daytime Emmys.

Nominee Michelle Stafford has won two Emmys in eight previous nominations for her role on "The Young and the Restless." Alicia Minshew celebrates her second nomination for "All My Children" and her first in the lead category; she plays Kendall Hart, the same role that earned Sarah Michelle Gellar an Emmy in 1995.

Rounding out the category is Laura Wright, who is nominated for the first time after 20 years starring in daytime TV (including roles on "Loving" and "Guiding Light"). She is the third actress to be nominated for the role of Carly on "General Hospital": Sarah Brown won three Emmys for the role between 1997 and 2000, and Tamara Braun received a lead actress nod in 2004.

Wright suffered misfortune at the Emmys over the years while her costars were showered with accolades. On "General Hospital," she shares scenes with Emmy winners Maurice Benard and Steve Burton, while on "Guiding Light" her sister was played by four-time winner Kim Zimmer. Her role on "Guiding Light" was recast after she left the series. Her replacement, Nicole Forester, received a lead actress nod in 2008.

— Tom O'Neil

Photo: National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

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Daytime Emmy poll: Will 'Bold and the Beautiful' win best drama series again?

After winning the Daytime Emmy Award for best drama series for the last two years, "The Bold and the Beautiful" has a very good shot at prevailing again when trophies are doled out this Sunday at the Las Vegas Hilton (8 p.m. ET/PT, CBS).

The reason: The episode submitted by its producers to Emmy judges has a strong social message about the marginalized homeless. The soap about the goings-on in and around the L.A. fashion industry didn't receive much Emmy love after debuting on CBS in 1987, but it finally broke through with nominations in 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and now seems to be on a winning streak.

"The Bold and the Beautiful's" toughest competition might be ABC's "General Hospital," which has won the top prize more often than any other soap: 10 times. Centering on a hospital in the town of Port Charles, the show has changed its focus in the past few years to the criminal underworld led by mob boss Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard, a best actor winner in 2003 and a nominee again this year). It keeps winning in large part due to its savvy episode submissions: often big-budget extravaganzas like hotel fires and train wrecks that play more like action movies than soap opera. This year it hopes James Franco will be its lucky charm. The Oscar-nominated actor made headlines when he joined the cast as a deranged serial killer in 2009, returning in summer 2010 for a story line now included on "General Hospital's" Emmy reel.

But don't count out CBS' "The Young and the Restless," which has been TV's highest-rated soap for more than 20 years. It has won the top prize seven times, most recently in 2007, and it submitted a strong episode that was set and partially filmed in New Orleans.

"All My Children," alas, isn't expected to win best drama this year (it hasn't won since 1998). The 41-year-old soap -- the home of Erica Kane (Susan Lucci), arguably daytime's most famous character -- was canceled by the network this year to be replaced by reality programming. It airs its last episodes in September, meaning the series will get one last chance to take the top prize next year.

"As the World Turns," which was canceled last year, was snubbed for best drama series. So was "One Life to Live," which goes off the air next January. Follow the discussion of the Daytime Emmys in our message boards.

-- Tom O'Neil

Photos: "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "The Young and the Restless" (CBS), "All My Children" and "General Hospital" (ABC)

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Hint: The winner was a supporting star of a top ABC soap during the 1990s. To see the answer, click on the "Continue Reading" link below.

Will Emmy queen Oprah reclaim her crown?

In 1999, after Oprah Winfrey won the Emmy for best talk show host six times, she yanked herself from competition. One year later, she removed "The Oprah Winfrey Show" from the race for best talk show after a record nine victories.

Now that her syndicated show is over, will Oprah's next program on her own cable network rejoin the top Emmy contests? It's not an outlandish question. In past years, at the prime-time Emmys, Candice Bergen and John Larroquette removed themselves from competition after repetitive wins, but then they rejoined the race after they left, respectively, "Murphy Brown" and "Night Court."

Whatever happens at Oprah's next show, her staff will continue to compete for their work. She always encouraged them participate at the Emmys. At next month's Daytime Emmys, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has five nominations: best director, lighting, makeup, technical direction and multiple camera editing.

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-- Tom O'Neil

Photo: NBC

Poll: Who will win the Daytime Emmy for lead actor?

Many people on our message boards are rooting for James Scott ("Days of Our Lives") to win the Daytime Emmy for lead actor.

Apparently, they're eager to see a new face at the podium. Christian LeBlanc ("The Young and the Restless"), Maurice Benard ("General Hospital") and Ricky Paull Goldin ("All My Children") and Michael Park ("As the World Turns") have won in the past. "Days" and its star rarely get much Emmy love so a win by Scott would be major.

What's your opinion?

-- Tom O'Neil

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"The Bold and the Beautiful" has ruled the Daytime Emmy race for the last two years, but can it now make it three in a row? Some of the people posting on our forums believe it will.

However, "The Bold and the Beautiful" faces fierce competition. Historically, "General Hospital" has dominated this contest with the most wins in the past (10), followed by "The Young and the Restless" (7).

But beware: The TV industry may choose to give a farewell hug to three-time champ "All My Children," just axed by ABC. Voters didn't get sentimental about that other recently canceled soap, "One Life to Live." TV critics and fans agree that it had an exemplary year, but it wasn't nominated for the top Emmy.

-- Tom O'Neil

Photo credit: National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Cheers and jeers for Daytime Emmy nominations

Commenters in our message boards have strong opinions about the Daytime Emmy nominations. Below are a choice few; see more here.

YoungRestlessOne: Way too little love for "One Life to Live"! And way too much praise for "Young and the Restless."

EmmyLoser: Congratulations to Laura Wright for finally getting nominated! I wish "Days of Our Lives" had done better, but I'm glad they got a writing nod if they couldn't get a series nod, and happy for James Scott and Chandler Massey …. I kind of can't believe how many noms "All My Children" grabbed.

jake221: Very good day for "Bold and the Beautiful" with all 3 mentions in main categories: series, directing and writing, along with 3 acting nominations - the first time in 8 years they have that many and the first time ever they received lead, supporting and younger nominations in the same year.

Italian Stallion: Come Emmy night, I would love to see "As the World Turns" take home actress and writing one last time!

Daytime Watcher: The only surprise about this list is that the younger actor/actress categories only have three nominees. Aside from that, all the usual suspects. The only person I'm really rooting for is Colleen Zenk!

east/west: These are pretty good nominations overall. My biggest one I am happy for is Laura Wright! Finally all of the Carly's who matter are Emmy nominees/winners.