Thoughts about the 45th Annual Daytime Emmys

Here are my yearly thoughts on the Daytime Emmy Awards. Below I list the winners and anything else that caught my interest during the 45th annual awards.

Again there wasn't a broadcast show, it was just online via apps and Facebook Live. At least this year the live streams were official, and not someone's camera phone. Unfortunately, there was no stream of the creative arts awards on Friday. The video of the actual show was put on YouTube less than 24 hours after airing which is an improvement from last year. Of course, since it was streaming on YouTube it should be there.

The Daytime Emmys channel has the red carpet from Friday for the Creative Arts, the red carpet from Sunday, the show on Sunday, and post-show interviews. This is over 10 hours of material if one was inclined to view it all. Once other media outlets start posting things, the video count will get even longer. Below is the actual award show from Sunday night.

Now on to the winners...

• Outstanding Drama Series: "Days of Our Lives" - last year it was GH
• Outstanding Game Show: "The Price is Right" - last year it was "Jeopardy!"
• Outstanding Morning Show: "Good Morning America" -repeat winner
• Outstanding Talk Show/Information: "The Dr. Oz Show" - repeat winner
• Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment: "The Talk" - last year "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"
• Outstanding Entertainment News Show: "Entertainment Tonight" - repeat winner
• Outstanding Lead Actress Drama: Eileen Davidson "The Young and the Restless" - last year Gina Tognoni, "The Young and the Restless"
• Outstanding Lead Actor Drama: James Reynolds Days - last year Scott Clifton, "The Bold and the Beautiful"
• Outstanding Supporting Actress Drama: Camryn Grimes Y&R - last year Kate Mansi, Days
• Outstanding Supporting Actor Drama: Greg Vaughn Days - last year Steve Burton, "The Young and the Restless"
• Outstanding Younger Actress Drama: Chloe Lanier "General Hospital" - last year Lexi Ainsworth, GH
• Outstanding Younger Actor Drama: Rome Flynn B&B - last year Bryan Craig, GH
• Oustanding Guest Performer: Vernee Watson GH - last year Jim O'Heir from "Community" for B&B 
• Outstanding Game Host: Wayne Brady "Let's Make a Deal" - last year Steve Harvey "Family Feud"
• Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host: "The Real" - last year "The Talk"
• Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host: Steve Harvey -repeat winner
• Outstanding Drama Series/Writing Team: Days - last year Y&R
• Outstanding Drama Series/Directing Team: Days - last year GH

Days got all three of the major awards of the night: show, writing and directing. The last time that happened was in the 70s when "Ryan's Hope" did that twice with a lot more competition (there were more than a dozen shows back then, and now we have four.) Ron Carlivati was classy in his speech for writing team, and singled out Dee Hall, (which if you are going to single someone out from Days that isn't an offensive choice.)

This year the digital drama award went to "The Bay", again, for a fourth year. This was given out on Sunday for a change instead of Friday night.

The show this year was over three hours, so it was extremely long.  That said I enjoyed a lot of it, below are general thoughts I had about it.

Peter Marshall being on the show though I wish they had aired more of the first Daytime Emmys as he mentioned things like the carriages, but it wasn't shown. He also was allowed to just talk, and no one cut him off, which on a broadcast show wouldn't have happened. Later in the show, he and Tom Bergeron, who hosted a later version of "Hollywood Squares" presented the game show categories, that said it was too bad they didn't show a clip of Susan and Bill Hayes on Storybook Squares hosted by Mr. Marshall decades ago, or some other video with soap people on that game.

They had a montage of kids programming, but kids programming is no longer shown on the Daytime Emmys main show. They are now part of Friday's festivities, and we didn't get significant clips of that, which is disappointing. I would have liked to see the Sid and Mart Krofft tribute, not just be told they got one. Also the fact they kept the original kids' show montage and kept in Fat Albert was surprising, especially due to the later reference to Bill Cosby being found guilty.

Suzanne Rogers announced the supporting actress, as she won it the first year they had that award. It was weird we got montages of former female winners, but not their male counterparts. Also it was good to see packages for the nominees.

GH and Y&R each got a montage for their respective birthdays. GH's montage was introduced by Laura Wright (Carly on GH) who mentioned her 27 years in the genre, which wasn't all on that program. I had a moment thinking about her character Ally Rescott, which was her first part in daytime. That said Laura isn't the longest running female cast member on contract, so her announcing it was a bit of a surprise, but maybe due to how she has only won a Daytime Emmy for that role, she was chosen. The Y&R montage introduced by Lauralee and Brad Bell, and they spoke about their parents. The GH montage had some predictable clips, but was more about what the show was, than what it is now. The Y&R montage linked more past with the present, but spent too much time on catfights and old drawings of cast in the credits (which made it harder to recognize at least to me who wasn't watching over 30 years ago.) Since Pat Sajak and Vanna White also made it 35 years, they got a "Wheel of Fortune" montage.

I liked that old clips were used, but the quality varied. Some seemed to be off of people's videotapes and grabbed from YouTube.The one clip though of Helen Gallagher's win (one of the two) for her part of Maeve Ryan on Ryan's Hope was so beautifully clear, that I was begging for more. (Thank you SoapNet for becoming addicted to that show.) I also had a Guiding Light moment, when I mentally was transferred back to 1993, my childhood home, and Michael Zaslow winning his lead actor Emmy as Roger Thorpe.

I'm glad that Sheryl Underwood did not flirt shamelessly with Mario Lopez this year. She did do a nurse parody, to talk about GH, which was reminiscent of Clarence.

Chris VanEtten (the vet, not the writer) was at the Daytime Emmys with his service dog Harley. Harley was adorable, and made me happy.

The show began with a dance performance by unrecognizable people to the "I've Got a Feeling", and the audience was invited to join from their seats. This reminded me of "One Life to Live"'s prom night musical episode, from years ago, as that was done at the beginning of an episode. I wondered why they didn't pick music that was more contemporary to 2017 or 2018, or used something from 1973 or 1974, which would have been popular around the time of the 1st Daytime Emmys. It isn't like charts can't be easily located online.

The in memoriam montage was performed by Joely Fisher. This year, I didn't freak over anyone being omitted, so good job.

Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes got a montage about their work in daytime. We also got a video clip of Bryan Cranston best known as Walter White on "Breaking Bad" at least when it comes to primetime Emmys. He spoke about how Bill was kind to him, when Bryan had a three-day job at Days, overslept and was over two hours late to the studio. It seemed like Susan didn't know what her husband did for Mr. Cranston, back in 1980. The montage clips were outstanding in quality, and I wanted more: Sony release this already. I'll pay to see this kind of stuff without a doubt. Denise Alexander spoke, and she was in the clips, Deidre Hall announced Bill and Susan, and was shown as well. Kristen Alfonso, Robert Clary and Tracey Bregman (as Susan played Joanna, Lauren's mother on Y&R) all spoke in the video package. Susan and Bill gave a speech, where they tag-teamed about what they wished the genre was and the importance of relevance, and not just escapism. Relationships and romance are important as well. What they discussed was more progressive than a lot of what we see in soaps now.

Liz Hubbard came out with Martha Byrne as they played mother and daughter Lucinda and Lily on "As the World Turns" to present the lead actress Emmy, as Liz won the first back in 1974 (the first year it was a competitive award, Mary Fickett won an Emmy for an area award her acting as Ruth on All My Children, prior to the creation of the Daytime Emmys). Liz's win was for her role of Dr. Althea Davis on "The Doctors", though it wasn't mentioned how the program also won best show that year. Liz spoke a little bit about the genre in general, used "darling" ---awww so that is a Liz thing and not a Lucinda one, much to my delight and laughter while watching TD reruns, and Martha called her Mom.

Now about the winners, Chloe Lanier was the first winner of the night. Basically they sat down, and she won. At least she didn't have to stress out about it, but poor Olivia Rose Keegan, her sister was shown on the screen instead of her when showing the nominees. Rome Flynn was excited to win, and surprised, he thanked G-d and mentioned his daughter, who looks really adorable. He's off B&B, but the character got a happy goodbye, though since he's recurred in primetime it looks like he has a good career ahead. Vernee Watson seemed surprised to win, but out of everyone nominated she was the only one who played a likeable character with legs to continue, which she has been. Greg Vaughn thanked his kids, and he was there with his new love Angie Harmon. They seem happy together, and truthfully he has grown a lot in his years acting. (That isn't meant as a disrespect, but something I see as a positive.) Camryn Grimes last won back when she was about 10 against much older competition. I hope this means they actually write something for Mariah beyond Emmy bait, which due to how they gave up on Tessa and Mariah, it feels like that's all it was. Eileen Davidson looked at Peter Bergman with disbelief, after she was announced. James Reynolds spoke about being only the fourth person of color to win the lead award, no non-white actresses have won, but Al Freeman Jr., Darnell Williams, and A Martinez, all won, though all were more than 25 years ago. It was a long time coming, in a sense as James' first nomination was for "Generations" in 1991, and he started on Days over 35 years ago.

"The Talk" had on the winners like last year, and have posted clips on their YouTube Page.  Unfortunately this year so little was shared.

Those are my highlights of the Daytime Emmys for 2018. I liked last year, but enjoyed this year more. Perhaps it was the focus on the past that got to me, and how we finally had lifetime achievement award winners from the soap world, and no major tributes to either late soap operas or beloved performers or creators.