Daytime Emmys bid adieu to departing stars, shows

Jonathan Jackson of "General Hospital" and Heather Tom of "The Bold and the Beautiful" earned trophies as supporting actor and actress at the Daytime Emmys on Sunday night.

Jackson, who plays Lucky Spencer on the ABC soap opera, brought his young son and daughter onstage with him to accept the first award presented on the live CBS telecast.

"It's Father's Day. I couldn't resist," he said.

Tom, a veteran soap star who plays Katie Logan Spencer the CBS show, won for the first time after five nominations in the supporting category.

"I have to thank the daytime community as a whole," she said. "You have been my home for most of my life and I am so grateful for that."

"Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" tied for best game show, fitting since the respective hosts, Alex Trebek and Pat Sajak, were to receive lifetime achievement awards later.

Earlier, the red carpet brought out the stars for a ceremony that seemed more like a bittersweet goodbye, with Oprah Winfrey, Regis Philbin, "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" leaving the daytime airwaves.

Stars from "The Young and the Restless," including Tricia Cast and Tracey E. Bregman, thrilled fans as they walked the carpet in the middle of the Hilton casino. Fans pointed cameras and screamed, drowning out the jingling of slot machines as gamblers oblivious to the glamour played on.

Winfrey, who recently ended her lauded talk show after 25 years, will be honored for changing the face of daytime television during the show hosted by Wayne Brady.

The 38th annual ceremony honoring everything from soap operas to game shows to talk shows was to see a parade of stars like nominees Philbin and Meredith Vieira joining Winfrey on the way out.

Philbin is leaving his syndicated chat fest later this year, and he could retire with a trophy, having been nominated for best talk-show host.

Vieira ended her five-year run on the "Today" show earlier this month. She is a presenter and has multiple nominations, including one for best game-show host.

The ABC soaps "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" are bowing out after more than 40 years on the air, both victims of declining ratings.

"Erica Kane, forced retirement," Brady joked about the role played by Susan Lucci on "All My Children" as boos rang out.

ABC's "General Hospital" came into the ceremony with a leading 21 nominations, followed by CBS' "The Young and the Restless" with 20 and "Sesame Street" with 16.

"All My Children" vied for best daytime drama, along with "General Hospital," ''The Young and the Restless" and CBS' "The Bold and the Beautiful," the two-time defending champion in the shrinking category.

"All My Children" co-stars Alicia Minshew and Debbi Morgan were up against each other for best actress in a daytime drama. Other nominees were Colleen Zenk of "As the World Turns," Susan Flannery of "The Bold and the Beautiful," Laura Wright of "General Hospital" and Michelle Stafford of "The Young and the Restless."

Best daytime actor nominees were Ricky Paull Goldin of "All My Children," Michael Park of "As the World Turns," James Scott of "Days of Our Lives," Maurice Benard of "General Hospital" and Christian Le Blanc of "The Young and the Restless."

The awards show was in its second year in Las Vegas, where it moved from Los Angeles after up-and-down ratings in recent years. The CBS telecast faced competition in its second hour Sunday from another splashy event, the Miss USA pageant held at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Sin City and shown on NBC.